Torment and Pain
by ResistanceKnight
Summary: The torment of the mind. The pain of the body. The power of pure anger, and the strength of unconditional love. Gohan knows he's gone through a lot of things, but romance is totally new to him. Armed with a prophacy and a sword, the Z-Fighters go to war.
1. TaP to the Music

These look like fun, so might as well have one. I own diddly. I do however own the next few minutes of all your lives! :insert evil laughter here:

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**Dragonball Z -Torment and Pain**

-Gohan and Videl-

Written by: RK

**Saga's of T.a.P.**

**:WARNING:**

This entry is the second in a line of planned stories. The first is Talent and Potential, and without reading that this story will make absolutely no sense what so ever. I hope if you see this story, you will first go read and review that story and then return here to do the same with this one.

The following summaries may contain spoilers for past sagas in the story. If you wish to not know, please read only the saga you are currently on and skip over the others till you get to them in the story itself.

Thank you, that is all.

**Dance Dance Dragon Saga** – Its senior year for Gohan and the gang of Orange Star High, and things have changed to say the least. Gohan's secret is out on the table due to the tournament, and there are mixed reactions to say the least. As school life goes on however, something so evil…so epically evil that it may not even be able to be stopped appears from the boules of Capsule Corp. Can the Great Saiyaman and Saiyagirl defeat this pure evil of evils? What even is this threat? One word – Ribbit.

**The Universal Tournament Saga** – Earth's strongest warriors have been called upon to save the planet…by competing on a game show? Thank earth's lucky stars that all the contestants have to do is fight. However…this time something truly dark is coming and the Z-fighter's will get a glimpse of a far greater threat to Earth than anyone could have ever imagined.

**The Calm Before Saga** – Whatever was closing in on the Universal Tournament is now closing in on earth. Strange things are happening to the people as a result. The only problem is that the breathe before always feels like it's taking forever…

**The Storm Saga** – The Storm from the prophesy received along with the Z-Sword is upon the Z-fighters. A black nightmare is here, and it's time for Earth to tap into the power their race once held as Saiyans long ago. Upgraded and as strong as they've ever been, the Z-fighters go to war.

_**~DBZ~**_

_Darkness and Light exist in everyone, its a simple fact that no one is completely good or evil. So when you fight, don't be afraid to fight with both sides of yourself. Its okay to hate someone, you have to use all your emotions if you are to fight at your full potential. Its when Darkness and Light work together that we can move forward._

_**~DBZ~**_

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 1 - T.a.P. to the Music

Gohan, Videl, Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha all took a step back, their hands cupping behind themselves with a blue ball forming behind them. Tien and Chiaotzu pointed their hands like a gun up towards the station, a yellowish red ball taking form on the tip of their fingers. A blue ball formed in Bardocks right hand, him taking a step forward as if he were getting ready to throw a baseball. Vegeta held his arms out, sparks dancing around them as his muscles bulged. Gotenks took out his swords, mimicking Vegeta's stance while holding the sword in his right hand. And finally Piccolo spread his base, bringing two fingers to his forehead with dark purple lightning starting to spark around the fingers.

"Kamehame..."

"Dodon Ray..."

"Final Spirit..."

"Final..."

"Double..."

"Special Beam..."

With a final burst, everyone's energies shot up in size along with their attacks. Not only the ground beneath them, but the entire planet was now starting to shake. It was now or never. Much more of this and earth would shake itself apart! The Z-fighter's didn't need to say it though, they all were thinking the same thing. Everyone moved as one, thrusting their attacks forward.

"**HA!"**

"**Fire!"**

"**Cannon!"**

"**Flash!"**

"**Buster!"**

"**Cannon!"**

The beams shot forward from the Z-fighter's hands, making a v-line for the asteroid. The ground under them started to crack and crumble. Gohan and Videl especially were working hard to even just keep the attack up, their bodies just wanting to stop and fall over. The two of them grit their teeth together, glancing over at one another as the Z-fighter's attack closed in.

The attacks merged as they flew, becoming one mass of energy as it sped towards its target. It hit the station within seconds, the asteroid looking shields holding strong. The ship however did slow to a stop, it just pushing against the beams of earth's special fighting force.

It was good that the ship had stopped, but it didn't look like the shields were having any trouble keeping up with all the energy it was getting hit with. The Z-fighters couldn't keep this up forever, they needed Takula to make it to the control room and turn off the shields.

-DBZ-

All around the world, the focus was on a strange beam of light hitting the asteroid, slowing the impending doom. Hercule was standing infront of his mantion, where he had been trying to keep people calm moments before. He silently let out a sigh. He had been wondering when those hero guys from the tournament were going to do their thing, and all he was trying to do was keep people calm till then. Now it was all left up to if those guys could blow up the rock or not. Surely they could, right.

Now that the champ thought about it, Videl had said something about leaving to do a little training, with those strange fighters no doubt...crap! That meant she was there with them! Without thinking much, the Champ rushed to get a hover car. It wasn't long till he was in one and had taken off towards where the beam of light was coming from. The people took notice and a few of them, news crews included, decided to do the same.

High in the mountains, Blast and Launch were looking up at the sky. Launch was in her more aggressive state, and she were showing it. Yelling at the top of her lungs, letting the hills and valley's know what she thought, Blast in her clam blue haired form had to cover her ears just so they didn't burst.

"Come on Tien, show that giant rock you don't mess with the Shinhans!"

Blast just silently prayed Tien and Chiaotzu would come back safe, while trying to dodge her mother's bullets and shield her ears from her mother's voice.

Deep in the woods, Upa, his father, and the rest of their tribe were looking up at the beam of light was pushing against the giant rock in the sky. The people had worried looks on their faces as they hung their young ones, but Upa and Bora balled their fists and they rooted for their friend Goku to pull threw and save the planet again. If anyone could do it, it would be those guys.

17 had shown up in West City to meet with 18 and Marron. The young girl was currently sitting on her uncles head, whom was putting up with it quite surprisingly. The two androids were quiet as they stood in the yard of Capsule Corp. Marron was also unusually quiet as she sat there, a curious look on her face.

Chi-Chi, also in the Capsule Corp yard along with Bulma's parents was currently chomping down on a handkerchief to try and keep herself calm. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that of course Gohan and Goten would be smack in the middle of all this. And though she wouldn't admit it out-right, besides being scared for them she was proud of them for standing up and defending the planet. She just wished they didn't have to do it so damn often.

Mr and Mrs Briefs were standing side by side as they watched the light show quietly. Not much really fazed them, as they just waited quietly to see what would happen.

In Satan City, Konkichi looked out a window, grinning quite cheesily as he looked on. Looks like they were going to save the planet again. The thought of them failing never entered the green fox's head.

-DBZ-

Up in the Universal Library, Takula was panting as he rushed down a fiery hallway. Damn it all, he was to old for this kind of excitement, and he hadn't exactly been moving around much lately, being chained up and all. Behind him, the ceiling of the hallway gave way, flames crashing down as the debris burned. Takula paid no head to it as he rounded the final turn to the control room.

"Thank goodness..." A sudden extremely violent shake in the ship sent Takula sprawling to the floor however just as he entered the control room. The old man grunted, pushing himself up as fast as he could. He really hated feeling this old, but he couldn't dwell on that right now.

Finally getting back up, he made his way over to the high tech computers infront of him. After pressing a few buttons, a screen popped up on the transparent monitor. He had to blink a few times, startled to say the least. The group had gathered on earth and had started to blast the ship before shields were down. But the part that surprised him the most was the fact that they had stopped the ship from moving. He had expected the force of the energy would only be able to slow it down, but for them to be actually halting the movement of the Library...

Shaking his head, he returned to looking for the controls to shut of the shields. Another nearby explosion rocked the ground Takula was standing on, but the old man stood firm. With those young whipper snappers trying so hard, no way he was going to be the one to fall. Finally, he found the button he was looking for. He pressed it, looking back up at the screen. There, now it was all up to those...darn...k-kids...

Up on the screen was a red error message. A fiery explosion from another console near by went off, but Takula didn't even flinch at it. A cold sweat was covering his body. Of all things, a fail-safe...and because of that... Because of that...he...he couldn't turn off the shields?

Takula just looked at the screen, the red message staring back at him. It burned into his eyes. Though he didn't like to admit it, it did make sense. The ship was on a crash coarse for a planet, there are explosions going off all over inside the ship, and to top it all off an exceptional amount of energy was hitting the shields. With all that going on, of course the shields wouldn't turn off.

The librarian went to his knees, ripping off the front panel of the computer. Looking at the mess of wires and crystals that made up the computer, he started to look for the right ones. He wasn't about to let things end like this. Not after all the work those young ones did to protect the universe. The least he could do is repay that dept.

-DBZ-

The Z-fighters fought to continue their energy draining attack. The cannon they had fired at the space station was massive, and it was holding the station in place. The only problem was that they couldn't keep this up forever, and the shields were showing no signs of failing. Gohan and Videl especially were struggling to stay strong. After their fight with Darkon, they were at their limit. Now they had to continue right away with this? They really didn't have any luck. They needed Takula to turn off those shields. Their breaking point was nearing.

Videl, her red aura burning around her as the blue beam of light shot towards the sky, looked towards Gohan. He was grinding his teeth against one another, his legs visibly shaking under the strain. All she wanted was to stop and sit down, rest for a bit, but she knew if she did that she would never be able to forgive herself. If she truly wanted to walk beside Gohan, she had to stand strong here. It was now or never, the planet and all who called it home was at stake, and she wasn't the type to quit.

Gohan glanced over to Videl, his silver aura wavering. His body was spent, and he'd like nothing more than to stop and catch his breath. But how could he do that, when the girl he had just met only not even a year ago was still fighting? It took every last one of the Z-fighters just to hold that space station in place, if he stopped now it would mean they fail. It was the same for everyone. They were in a deadlock, and they needed either those shields down or more power.

Gohan cursed himself, wishing he were stronger so Videl didn't have to be here. By all rights, she shouldn't be. She was in danger, and he couldn't save her. It was taking everything he had just to stand and keep this attack up. Growling under his breath, he returned his focus to the space station. Damn it all, the shields still looked as if they weren't suffering at all! What could they do...what could they do...

_-I have an idea...-_

Gohan's head popped up at the sound of the voice. Did that come from someone? No...no that sounded more like it came from the inside of his head. _Gray, Gray is that you? You have a plan?_

_-Ya...can you promise me one thing?-_

_Promise? Sure, what is it?_

_-Promise me...promise me that you'll take good care of Videl.-_

_Gray, what are you getting a-_

_-Promise me!-_

_All right, all right! I promise. Gray, what are you thinking about trying?_

_-I'll give you what's left of my energy. That should be enough power to finish this.-_

_Wait, you still have energy to spare? How's that even possible, shouldn't I be able to tell now that I'm tapping into it?_

_-My life energy should be sufficient-_

_Woah! Stop right there, you can't even be thinking about trying something like that!_

_-Let me do this, I...I'm tired Gohan. All those memories from Hell...I can still see them. Let me do this...-_

Gohan went quiet. He sure as hell didn't like this plan, but he couldn't think of anything else. The shields showed no sign of giving. The other Z-fighters looked as if they were on their last leg. They were out of options. Gohan closed his eyes, growling again in frustration. Why...why couldn't he protect anyone?

_Gahhh...Gray...there has to be some other way..._

_-Can you think of one?-_

_...there just has to be..._

_-Thank you Gohan...-_

_You... promise me you'll come back. Maybe you'll get your own body some day...if anyone deserves something like that its you...when that happens, come find me..._

_-...it's a deal.-_

The silver energy around Gohan slowly began to darken. At first no one noticed, but with a sudden burst of black energy around Gohan all the Z-fighters took note. Black lines started to appear all over Gohan's body, outlining his muscles. Crying out with a mighty battle roar, the energy around him exploded in size and power. After a second burst, he changed. As the black energy calmed down and returned to silver, a new Gohan emerged.

Black pointy shoes, baggy white gi pants, and a blue sash around his waist and wrists. His tail was now in view, the silver appendage twisting around behind him from the energy. Gohan was shirtless, instead his chest was covered in silver fur minus his pecks and abs which were still bare. His silver hair was much spikier and longer. The front spikes looked like his normal hair, all pointing towards the sky with one rebel bang hanging down infront of his face. The rest of his hair curled back over itself from its own weight, reaching down to his neck.

Pulling his hands back, Gohan roared out again as he shot another powerful blast which followed the path of his first Kamehameha, this one being black instead of blue. The other Z-fighters were speechless to say the least, however they continued to feed their own attacks. The black beam smashed into the shields, the asteroid looking shields showing signs of stress for the first time. Ever so slowly, the space station was being pushed back.

-DBZ-

Takula's head smashed into the motherboard of the computer infront of him, causing the librarian to curse at his luck. Standing back up to figure out what in the world just happened, his eyes widened in shock. There was just no way it was possible. The shields couldn't take in all the energy it was being hit with? That...that should be impossible! He never expected that, the odds were that the battery would fill up and then go critical before this. To overwork the absorption mechanism...it was preposterous.

"Th-that just can't..." That was all Takula could get out before another red message, this time a warning that the shields were failing, popped up onto his screen. His mouth gaped a little, honestly surprised by the turn of events.

After a few moments, explosions rocking the room he was standing in as fire roared around him, his open mouth changed to a smile. "A mystic silver saiyan of old...huh? Darn kids..."

The room Takula was in slowly started to be consumed with light, the old man starting to chuckle as he was enveloped.

-DBZ-

The silver super saiyan four Gohan gave one final battle cry as his black Kamehameha grew in size for the final push. The boost crashed into the shields moments later, the other Z-fighter's attacks twisting around Gohan's, the massive beam shattering the shield like glass. The ship itself was hit moments later. The metal was consumed entirely by the attack the fighters had shot at it, and the structure never stood a chance once the shields were gone.

Gohan forced one of his eyes open, straining under the power his body was dishing out. Infront of him hovered a ghostly form of Gray, the depressing form of himself slightly smiling.

_-Remember Gohan...take care of her...never let her go...-_

The ghost of Gray faded into the black blast that was made up of his life energy, Gohan shutting his eyes tightly as he cursed how things were happening. This wasn't right...but it was still happening...why? In a matter of seconds, the round Universal Library was pushed into space and broken down into nothingness...the attack of the Z-fighters fading into nothingness in space as well.

-DBZ-

The Z-fighters, new and old, all fell to the ground. They were exhausted, tired beyond belief. With a flash of light, Gohan returned to his normal look black hair and all. Videl fell forward, landing next to Gohan. Glancing over to Videl, Gohan smiled. Wincing in pain the saiyan brought his hand over to hers, Videl smiling as she took his hand. The two gave a slight squeeze, their bodies relaxing for the first time in a long time as they lay next to each other on the ground.

Their silent moment of peace however was interrupted by the sound of hover car's nearing. The fighters stopped sucking air for a moment, tilting their heads up to find a mass of incoming flying vehicles. Vegeta growled, twisting his head around to find Trunks and Goten laying face up on the ground sucking in as well.

"Kakarrot...get us the hell out of here."

"All right...everyone grab a hold..."

The first of the cars landed, and one over protective father going by the name of Hercule Satan rushed out.

"SWEEEET PEEEEAAAA!"

Videl groaned, not being quiet about her annoyance. Sure, she was happy that she helped save the universe along with the planet...but she was tired and her father wasn't exactly going to help her relax.

Gohan laughed at her displeasure, his cheesy smile covering his face. The Z-fighters all grabbed a hold of each other, Hercule grabbing a hold of his daughter just as the fighters vanished from the deserted area leaving the crowd at a lose for where they had went.

Not very far away in West City, the fighters reappeared. The grounds of Capsule Corp were suddenly full of extremely tired warriors. They were all still sucking air, their bodies happy to finally be at ease and able to relax. Hercule, much to Gohan's amusement and Videl's annoyance, was checking over his daughter and continuously asking if she was okay.

His amusement was cut short however, because Chi-Chi's motherly instincts kicked in and quickly located her sons with the help of the androids. As much as he wanted to cover his ears to shield them from his mother's vocal onslaught, his body was just to tired to listen. Gohan could only hope his younger brother was in better shape than he was, because he was a hero now too.

Then something rather odd happened. Chi-Chi looked up from Goten, finding herself looking right into the eyes of Bardock. The old Saiyan blinked a few times, wondering why he was getting such strange looks from this earth woman and why she was trying to strangle the two boys here. Suddenly however, a frying pan moving at rather impressive speeds caught his eyes. He had to blink a few times, wondering why exactly one was moving at him so fast and where it had come from. Could it be that there was food in there?

_Clang!_

No...no food. That was for sure.

"Goku! Wh-what are you...sniff...what are you doing...?"

"Ahhh...Chi-Chi? I'm over here."

The poor distraught woman glanced over to the familiar voice, finding the real Goku, orange gi and all, sitting up and waving over at her with his classic goofy smile. Chi-Chi looked back and forth from Goku to Bardock, whom was trying to figure out why he had been hit. After a few moments of looking back and forth the mother finally fell backwards, fainting.

Goku moved to collect his wife, while Krillin chuckled standing next to Bardock. The saiyan just continued to look on in confusion. "What...just hit me?"

"We call that a Chi-Chi. Pretty scary, but you get used to it." said Krillin, rather smugly.

As the other fighters slowly started to rise to their feet one by one, they all made their way inside. As the day made its way on, and they recovered their spent energy, the fighters all made their way home. The word was that they'd be getting together again in three days to party, and they should rest up till then.

Gohan followed Goten into their room, the two boys tired beyond belief. The past events that had transpired in the past thirty eight hours hand drained them to the bone. Goten took his ring off his finger and placed it on his desk, then going over to his bead and promptly falling onto it, passing out.

Gohan eyed the ring, something popping into his head before he followed his brother's example. Reaching into his gi, he pulled out two ear-rings. Placing them down onto his own desk, the saiyan started to move toward his bed before something about the ear-rings caught his eye. Hadn't they been yellow before? Or had one always been black and the other white? Strange...shaking his head, Gohan waved off the thought as just his tired memory making a mistake. He had only gotten a good look at them for a little while before he tucked them away, maybe they were always like that.

-DBZ-

Three days passed, and as promised Bulma had thrown a Saiyan sized party. They just kept on multiplying, now the richest woman in the world had to cover for six of them. Any more and she'd be losing more money than what she was making.

The press lost track of where the fighters had gone to, but the ever charismatic Mr. Satan told them that everything was okay and the protectors of earth would be ready again if such a problem would ever arise. The press was happy enough with that, and went on to talk about relief efforts for those whom had lost their homes due to water damage. The gravity had been thrown out of wake due to the space station, and the waters of the world had shown the effects the worst. Coastal cities were damaged, but they could be rebuilt.

Bardock...after a little convincing that it would be safe, came to live in the mountain area next to his sons home. He had elected to get a capsule home free of charge from Bulma, one that was small and easy to keep. The guy was pretty lay back for a Saiyan, only asking for a small training room. None the less, he spent most of his time outside. The house would be ready for him soon, so until then he would be living in his son's home. He didn't say anything, but it was pretty obvious he didn't exactly like that. To peaceful, to say the least.

Goku was happy to be alive again, and Chi-Chi was thrilled about the idea. The poor woman broke down when she learned that her husband would finally be staying with her again. Goten was as happy as ever, and Gohan was just as happy about their father coming home to stay. King Kai was a little torqued that Goku was back but he was still dead, but that passed over rather quickly when he got invited to the party as well. The condition was that he would be allowed to tell jokes as people ate...the horror. But that is where the Z-fighters found themselves now.

Gregory and Bubbles along for the ride, everyone was listening in on the "best" comedy show earth's special forces...or the North Galaxy for that matter had ever seen.

"Okay okay...what do flies where on their feet? …. Shooos! Ahahahahh!"

Uhhh...was pretty much the unanimous consensus. Bubbles was being considerate however, and did most of the clapping for King Kai. Gohan, Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner were entertaining themselves at their own table, trying to drown out the comedy. At another table, Goku and Goten vs Vegeta and Trunks were currently trying to see who was the fastest father son eating team. Food was disappearing faster than the robots of Capsule Corp could keep it on the table.

The mothers, Chi-Chi and Bulma, just made sure to keep their arms back and to guard what was on their own plates to the best of their abilities. The saiyans knew better than to steal from them, but in the heat of the moment anything could happen in a saiyan eating competition.

At a near by table, Krillin and his family was sitting with Yamcha and Puar and Tien's family. They were having less success not paying attention to King Kai, them being the closest to where the blue man was telling his jokes. The Namekians plus Mr Popo were sitting down in the grass along with Konkichi and were currently talking about things only they and the people whom live with them could understand. It's not easy being green after all.

Bardock was standing to the side near a window, looking out it. All in all, the Z-fighters were having a relaxing party to welcome Goku back. Finally though, King Kai made it to the end of his show.

"If you want me to say some more material, just-"

A resounding "NO!" was all it took to send King Kai grumbling off the stage they had set up. The nature room where all the larger pets were stored at Capsule Corp made an excellent picnic area, and the tables they had prepared were strong enough to withstand a saiyan picnic. Up next, to the further horror of everyone, was Krillin. The short monk had quickly ran up to claim the microphone as his own.

"All right everyone...I dedicate this song to my family." After a wiggle of his eyebrows to his wife and child, Krillin closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

Master Roshi quickly covered his ears, knowing what to expect after hearing him sing in the shower. The rest of the fighters quickly followed suit when he started.

Marron was her father's biggest fan to say the least, clapping the whole while Krillin was singing his off pitch song. 18 had long learned how to shut off her hearing units, and this time was no exception. Her neutral expression looked as if she was listening and the...sound wasn't annoying to her, but the reality of it was that she couldn't hear a single thing.

Everyone thanked Dende, who was confused at that to say the least, when Krillin finally put the microphone back and walked smugly off the stage. Returning to his seat, he glanced over to his family.

"So, how was it? Good as ever right?"

Marron giggled, clapping her hands. "Daddy's the best singer!"

18...didn't respond. Tien chuckled nervously, rubbing his hears as tenderly as he could.

The saiyans had to even take a break from their eating contest to shield their ears, but once it was over they got ready to resume. Before they could however, Bulma made a remark to Vegeta.

"Well...he may be bad. But at least he has the guts to do something embarrassing like that for his family. To bad you can't sing _**that **_infront of other people."

Vegeta's body tensed up, knowing that sentence had been directed towards him. The saiyan prince grunted, glancing over at his mate. Bulma crossed her arms, looking rather smug that she had struck a nerve with him. Setting his food down, Vegeta swallowed what he had in his mouth and wiped his face before turning to a nearby robot.

"Two shots of Tequila."

The world itself went quiet as everyone turned to face Vegeta, curiousness and shock written on their faces. Even the people who didn't know Vegeta very well could tell something was up, the air was full of the feeling that something monumental was about to happen. The quiet was filled up with the sound of gears turning and wheels rolling on grass as the robot returned with the desired drink. Vegeta downed both of them without a moments thought and then proceed towards the stage.

If it were possible for things to be even more quiet than it had been moments later, it was now. Everyone's attention was directed towards the Saiyan prince. Vegeta took the mic from its stand, turned to karaoke machine behind him, and started to look for something.

Finally, the sounds started to come from the music machine, and a slightly buzzed red faced Vegeta turned to the crowd.

(At youtube, go to .com/watch?v=FT2Vt01oax0)

So many times I've wondered where you might be heading down towards this railway track called life!

And if Maybe i could Journey with you...

Passing by the scenery we travel on the two of us together on this train but not a passing glance, accepting no romance in this Station of Love.

Oh, You'll never know the pain i Feel Knowing that your  
Love for me is not Real!

You Don't Know...You Don't Know...

That Every-time i see you smile my heart is slowly breaking...  
because i know your dreaming of someone else.  
But I dreamed my own reality of the space train to love  
It's only you and me... Riding forever...

La La La La La La La  
La La La La La La La  
La La La La La La LA LA LaAAAAAA~

Silence...would be the understatement of the century.

The new additions were rather distraught...but the old Z-fighters...the ones that had been around when Vegeta first came to earth along with the people that met him soon after Namek...their mouths were fully open and their eyes wide. Krillin dropped his fork, the food still on it as the metal hit the spoon on the plate where the rest of his food rested on giving off the sound of metal hitting metal.

Even Bardock couldn't control his usual self, his mouth wide enough for a dragonball to fit and his eyes just as big. The royal family...the prince...the hell?

-DBZ-

"Wow King Vegeta, you're boy there is quite the singer!"

"Frieza...don't talk to me...just...don't."

-DBZ-

Vegeta huffed, placing the microphone back. The prince then walked back to where he had been sitting, glanced at Bulma who was blushing as red as a teenager confessing to her first love. Vegeta grinned, his pride shining from his smile.

"I win, you owe me woman."

As Bulma's face grew even redder, Goku proceeded to fall backwards, gripping his gut as he laughed his ass off. The poor saiyan was starting to turn blue from lack of air, but he couldn't stop himself. Poor Trunks however was turning green and looked as if he were to be sick, and Goten wasn't helping.

"Trunks...? Is that really your dad?"

"...I think...I'm gonna be sick..."

Vegeta just huffed, turning his head to the side as if he didn't care as he walked out of the large garden area. Everyone's eyes watched him out, and for a long while everyone was quiet.

After a while and everyone recovered, the party resumed. Granted it took Bulma a good half an hour longer to come back, she eventually too returned her usual self. Vegeta hung to the edges, looking his normal non-caring self, though no one would probably be able to look at him the same way again.

Everyone else going soft...ya right.

There was dancing, talking, and all around partying for the Z-fighters. Gohan managed to dance with Videl for a little while as everyone clapped along, the two getting over the embarrassment as they had fun together. Chi-Chi and then the rest of the less shy fighters got out onto the dance floor, making fools of themselves as they did something that was probably more martial arts than dancing. But it didn't matter, cause they were having fun. The rest of the fighters just smiled, watching as the more open of them made themselves look silly.

After they all took a snack break for the saiyans, it was about then that Gohan stole himself away, retreating to a balcony that overlooked West City and the setting sun. In all honesty, he felt guilty. Here he was...having fun with everyone like nothing happened, but Gray was gone now. Gray had shouldered all those things for him...be him just a part of his mind or not, he was a real person to Gohan...and because of him he was gone now.

Videl opened the door to the balcony, finding who she was looking for. She took one look at him, a worried expression covering her face. "Hey Gohan...you okay?"

"Ah...don't worry about me. I'm fine." The saiyan didn't turn to look, simply continuing to look out over the city.

"Say...what did you see up there...when Darkon force fed you hells memories I mean..."

Gohan looked down, slightly guilty at that question. "I...don't really remember anything. I know they were bad...but, I can't recall a single one. Gray took them when he...left."

"Oh...well, that's good I guess."

"I guess..."

Videl walked up, leaning over the railing as she looked out over the city as well. "I've thought of your punishment by the way..."

Gohan blinked, turning to face Videl now. That's right...she did say something about that before...heh, wonder what she's got in mind.

Videl blushed, glancing over the the much taller boy. "A..k-kiss and you promising never to do it again should be good...I think..."

"K-kiss?" Gohan blushed just as red, Videl was being rather forward about that. Though...that's just how she was about most stuff. He smiled, the words Gray had said before he left echoing through his mind. Take care of her, and never let her go. Well...if he were to do that, it would be best to start now...and live the way Gray would have wanted. It was the only way Gohan could think to repay him. Okay, maybe that was an excuse to help himself calm down and just follow threw with his punishment...but that didn't make it any less true.

Reaching back, Gohan scratched the back of his head. "I can live that...I guess."

The two turned towards each other, Gohan placing his hands on her shoulders as they both leaned in towards one another. With everyone watching from the shadows, the two consumed teens unknowing of course, they proceeded to have their second kiss...and a new start to their relationship. A lot had changed since their first one...but they still liked each other. Not even Dende or King Kai knew what the future held for those two, but whatever it is...it was sure to be exciting.

**Author's Annotation:**

And so...it begins again. I figured everyone will be looking for this little tad bit of conclusion that Talent and Potential was purposefully lacking. I'd like to thank all you reviewers from my last story now starting to read this one...but especially Kakarot Son for all intensive purposes becoming my beta reader/editor. Without you, there's be way more spelling mistakes than there should be. So thank you very much.

I hope everyone enjoys this story, the sequel should be every bit as good as the first one...maybe even better as I get more experience with writing. I'll do my best, and I hope you all enjoy!


	2. Super Seniors

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 2 – Super Seniors

"It's not going to happen."

"Pleeeeeaaaaase! Come on Videl!"

"No Erasa, I will not ware that thing. Ever."

"But Videeeeellll. You and Gohan should match when you fight crime!"

Videl sighed, rubbing her forehead as her and Erasa walked towards Orange Star School. As if it weren't bad enough that this was the first day of the new school year, Erasa was still on her one woman mission to get Videl to ware her Saiyagirl outfit. Needless to say it wasn't going to happen.

As the two closed in on their destination, the group grew up by one when Sharpner came around the corner to meet them at an intersection. "Ah, long time no see V. How's everything going?"

"Don't even start with me, not now."

Erasa blinked, looking from her annoyed friend to Sharpner. "What's got her so upset?"

"Didn't you feel the earth rumble a few days ago? I heard Gohan and Videl were having one last big training fight before school started up again. Looks like Videl lost again."

Growling, Videl balled her fists as she tried to hold down her frustration. "It's not fair! He's just been doing this longer, its the only reason he's better than me!"

"Sounds like a good reason for someone to be stronger to me." said Sharpner. Videl acted like she didn't hear him, and the group continued on till they were nearing the front gate of the school.

It was then that Videl's head popped up, looking behind them. Sharpner and Erasa stopped as well, wondering what Videl was looking for. Approximately four point three seconds later a blur shot up and stopped behind them.

"Gohan..?"

"Hey Videl, everyone. Ready for school?"

"Well, ya we are Books, but why are you in such a rush for?"

Gohan smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, mom got mad at me for saving the world again, so I've been doing a lot of homework lately to make sure she kept cooking for me."

The three friends just looked at Gohan, blinking a few times. Erasa giggled eventually, turning towards the school. "I never new being a hero was so hard."

"Man Books, you live in one messed up world, you know that?"

Videl just shook her head, the group of four rounding the corner to the school yard. A sudden shiver ran up Gohan's spine, an impending sense of danger catching is attention. Looking around, the eyes of everyone around them was on him. The others noticed it as well, the group slowing making their way into the school.

It was the same inside as well, everyone was staring, whispering to one another while glancing specificity at Gohan. Once they reached their lockers, they found a startling sight to say the least. Gohan's locker had been beat to hell and back, with words written in black marker saying things like 'stay home weirdo' and 'saiya-freak' all over it.

"That's horrible! Who could have did this?" Erasa covered her mouth, scared that people at their school were so violent. Videl glanced around, the people in the hallway turning away. Sharpner put his hand on Gohan's shoulder, supporting the tall boy.

"Don't listen to them, you're fine."

Gohan just shrugged it off. "Its no biggy. I got you guys here. Though, this was why I was trying to keep it a secret."

Putting his hand on the dented locker, the poor beaten door finally gave way falling to the ground followed by pink and white notes all with hearts all over them. Blinking, Gohan reached down to pick up a random note to read.

Videl's face instantly turned red, just how many love letters could there be? And from who? Her head whipped around faster this time, looking for the culprits only for everyone to once again turn away. Sharpner picked up one as well, both Gohan and him opening them. The notes went into rather extreme detail that couldn't be reproduced in a T rated story about things the females in question wished to do with Gohan. Gohan's face shot red, smoke coming from his ears as his hands started to shake from the shock...and the detail.

Sharpner burst out laughing, slapping Gohan on his back. "Books! You dog you!"

Erasa blinked, picking up the one Gohan had read and subsequently dropped, blinking a few times curiously. Videl quickly moved to her friends side, both of them reading the note in question.

-DBZ-

Bardock was currently sitting down at a table, dressed in earthling clothes. A black muscle shirt along with gray warm up pants. He kept scratching at them, but they were a gift from the Prince's woman, so he had to use them. Out of respect of course, but he wasn't about to take off his red headband for anything. His son, dressed comfortably in his orange gi, was sitting across from him on the table, talking to his grandson Goten whom was dressed like Goku. Glancing over, Bardock looked at his son's own woman. Dressed in bright colors, she looked like a doll.

He knew better though, his first encounter with this Chi-Chi had taught him that she knew the main weakness of the saiyan race. Frying pans. The odds that the same tools used in space were used here on earth seemed extreme...yet there the weapon was. Maybe all that mumbo jumbo the Prince had told his woman about what that Supreme Kai had said was true, and the Saiyan and human races were related.

At any rate, he was hungry, and his son's woman was making a feast worthy of royalty back on Planet Vegeta. Just as Chi-Chi was about to start moving the food to the table...a distant far off voice reached all the Saiyan's ears.

"...aaaaaaAAAAA**HHHHH!**"

Startled to say the least, they all turned towards the noise wondering what it could be.

-DBZ-

"Videl, you can't use a energy blast of that size! You'll blow up the school!"

"Get out of my way Gohan! I'm burning them all!"

"But that's inconsiderate of their feelings! And you'll blow up the school!"

"Oh, so you actually care what people think about you if it happens to be girls fawning over you?"

"T-that's not it!"

Sharpner and Erasa, along with a large portion of the student body, were currently watch Videl and Gohan pushing against a white ball of energy between them.

"Shouldn't we help Gohan stop her?"

"You can Erasa...but Videl has no problem hitting me so I'd rather let Gohan handle it. He's strong enough to survive a punch...maybe."

"Maybe?"

"You ever hear the expression that the man is the head of the family, but the woman is the neck?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"If the head tries to do something the neck doesn't like...bad things are going to happen to the spine."

"...I don't really get it...but whatever."

Finally, Videl let the white energy ball fade to nothing. Turning quickly, the short girl stomped off leaving Gohan to his current position, between a rock and a hard place. Curse his niceness, now he had countless love letters to answer no to and he had to talk to the school about fixing his locker.

Maybe he shouldn't have revealed himself at the World Martial Art's Tournament after all.

After dropping their stuff off at their lockers, the three followed after Videl to the class listing. There was a crowd gathered there, but as soon as Videl and Gohan showed up the mass of people parted, their attention focused on the two fighters rather than what room they would be in.

Looking up, they all found their names under 3-A. Gohan smiled, sighing happily. "Thank goodness. I was worried I wouldn't be in the same class as you guys this year."

Sharper scratched the side of his head, his face contorted as if he were thinking. "It is lucky that we all got in the same class again. That doesn't happen to often."

Videl turned, her face clearly showing she was still pissed off. The three watched her walk down the hallway towards the stairs to get to the third floor, the students making way when they saw her steaming at the ears.

"Man Books, you really really pissed her off." Sharpner glanced up at the depressed super hero, Erasa chasing after Videl as Gohan tried to force a smile to Sharpner and fallow after.

Soon the four arrived at their new room, 3-A, and they sat down in the same formation as the year before. From left to right; Sharpner, Videl, Erasa, and finally poor Gohan. The green fox Konkichi was standing in front of the class, getting ready for his speech.

"Ahem. Welcome seniors, my name is Konkichi and I'll be you're homeroom teacher for your final year. I know you'll all want to be as lazy as possible since this is you're last year, but we have to make sure to at least get those who want to into college. So no slacken off to much, ya hear?"

The class snickered, obviously their plans for their final year clearly all ready imprinted into their minds. Konkichi sighed, knowing full well his words were falling on deft ears. A sudden high pitched beeping caught the classes attention however, and they all turned towards Videl. The girl reached for her wrist and pressed the button on the watch-like device.

"Go ahead Chief."

Through the crackles and the static, the voice of a middle aged man came through from the other end. "Videl! We have a group of hijackers who took over a tour bus! They're demanding straight cash in the amount of 100,000 zenny!"

Videl was up in an instant and rushed down the stairs to the door. "Sorry teach, I gotta run!"

"Right right, don't hurt them to much."

It was quiet for a while after Videl left, like the room was expecting something. Gohan seemed slightly oblivious however, in that he could tell something was up when most everyone was glancing at him but for the life of him couldn't figure out why.

Erasa finally leaned over and whispered to Gohan. "Aren't you going to go after her?"

"Hmm?" whispered back Gohan, "Why should I? She's nearly as strong as I am now, she doesn't need me there for her to be safe anymore."

Konkichi sighed, again, his fox ears able to clearly hear what they were talking about. "Gohan, its not her we're worried about. Its the criminals."

Gohan perked up, looking at his teacher. A few seconds later, it finally clicked in his head. "Oh...oh! I gotta...erm...go to the bathroom!"

"...you can go Gohan."

"Thank you!"

Rushing out, Gohan took off towards the roof of the school while the students back in the room along with the teacher slapped their faces out of amazement.

Upon reaching the roof, Gohan sneakily hid behind the smaller wall where the stares came to the roof. Pressing the button on his own wrist-watch, a bright light outlined his body as his cloths started to change. As the bright light faded, the hero of Satan City emerged.

Saiyaman has returned, helmet and all.

-DBZ-

Videl was quick to arrive. No longer needing to take her slow jet copter to her get to the crime scenes, she was there within seconds. She cracked her knuckles as she looked down from a skyscraper at the situation going on below. She needed something to take her aggression out on, and some lowly criminal scum was just what the doctor ordered.

Just as Videl took off towards the bus below, Gohan was closing in with his mind currently trying to come up with the best pose for his reintroduction into the superhero biz.

-DBZ-

Far away in West City, the workers at Capsule Corp were working hard with the many inventions they were currently developing. Something was going on, something very evil, was happening just at their feet. Tools were being taken to the large forest observatory room in secret. And in that observatory, under a bush, two glowing red eyes looked over what it was re-creating...

**Author's Annotation:**

And so the new story begins. Not to much of what one would call plot, but it'll pick up eventually. Gotta set everything up first though. I'm looking forward to it just as much as everyone else out there reading. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I will.

This story will continue on with a similar writing style as Talent and Potential had. Serious when it needs to be, funny when it doesn't, and twists when I feel they fit. I know a few people were turned off with the last story when I abused the fourth wall, and at this point I can't say if I'll do the same with this story, but I'll continue to be funny like that. I'm really trying to capture what dbz was, and I think that's what is missing in a lot of other fics here. There are some really great GohanxVidel fics out there, but many of them are either completely serious or only humorous, ya know? Dbz was both things, and I think that's why those fics just seem to be using the names and personalities to me. So with my fics, I'm going to keep a hold on that dbz humor that at times bends the fourth wall, while also keeping with the seriously epic fights that also make up dbz.

On a more personal note, I recently sent an application along with two stories to the company called Bethesda, known for making Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and soon to be Skyrim. I applied for and hope to receive the quest designer position. Basically the job consists of writing quests and other story-lines for the games they make. If you all would be so kind, I would like to receive your best wishes for me in this attempt to get this job. I'm really nervous about it, and I have been checking my email religiously about it, but there is no word as of yet. Please wish me luck, I need all I can get. Thank you!


	3. Enter the Dragon Ring

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 3 – Enter the Dragon...Ring

The reporter held the microphone to her mouth as she looked back at the screen. Behind her was one damaged bus, a group of save citizens, three tied up criminals, and the police force. "Today's bus highjacking was stopped, instead of by the Golden Fighter and Saiyagirl, but Saiyaman and Videl. Upon questioning, the two super hero's said they would be returning to protecting the city and the other protectors would be returning to the "shadows" and I quote Saiyaman. Quickly after arriving on the scene, the two super hero's put a stop to all the criminal activities and secured the location. However, after that the situation soon broke down to what one could describe as a 'lover's quarrel' that lasted till both fighters few off."

A new voice, presumably from the new's main broadcasting station, came over the sound waves. "So the rumors of Saiyaman and Saiyagirl going out are false and he may really be chasing after Videl?"

"That's what it looked like to me Chuck. After doing some digging, we also learned that the son of the past world champion Goku, also known as Gohan, goes to the same school as Videl. It is entirely possible the two are infact dating. This is Mary Sue, signing off."

And with that the TV in the boxing room was turned off, all those inside turning to face Gohan. The boy in question was currently scratching at the back of his head, smiling nervously as red covered his face. The delinquents in the room looked over Gohan warily. They had all gone to watch Konkichi fight in the World Martial Art's Tournament. Never in their wildest dreams did they ever consider that Gohan was not only going to participate, but be the son of the legendary Goku along with getting to fight the man.

Sharpner however was not as wary of approaching his friend, and put his hand on his shoulder to prove it. "Damn Books! Moving on from Saiyagirl to Videl all ready? You move fast!"

Gohan quickly backed away from Sharpner, taking him seriously and waving his hands infront of himself to try and dismiss the story. "N-no way Sharpner! You know I don't like Era-"

A quick jab from a short green fox cut Gohan off from revealing the name of the ever popular Saiyagirl. Sure it didn't hurt, but it was enough to startle the saiyan. Konkichi smiled as he looked up to meet Gohan's eyes. "So boy, are you ready?"

"Uh...ready for what Coach?"

A gleam made itself apparent in the fox's eyes, and when Gohan looked over to find Sharpner had the same gleam, it made him worry.

"You my boy, are finally eligible to box in a varsity match! The first year after your transfer passed all ready, and you payed your dues, so you'll be fighting in the first match this Friday!"

Gohan froze. He had only gone to practice the year before, and Sharpner or Konkichi had never pushed to have him actually compete...so he had figured all he had to do was practice for Sharpner not to get upset about that one time he decked him. Its not like he was nervous about competing or anything. He was more worried about going out infront of all those people without a shirt on, and not to mention worried about whoever he went up against. He didn't want them to get hurt punching him or anything.

Just as Gohan was about to protest, Konkichi smiled as he crossed his arms infront of him. "I actually all ready called your mother about it. Turns out your family will be showing up to watch! I'm sure you'll give them a good show."

Gohan's mouth stopped dead in its tracks, hanging there open and everything. How smart was this fox? He had backed him to a corner so easily, now there was no way to get out of it. Sighing in defeat, poor Gohan slumped over. Sharpner chuckled, putting on some padding while talking to the depressed boy. "Say Books, mind a spar? I could use a little practice before Friday."

-DBZ-

Videl fell onto her bed, not so much tired as frustrated. Training had been the one thing she had spent most of her time on in her life. She had worked hard to get as strong as she had. And then all of a sudden her power was unlocked, and now it took all her concentration to not break the punching bag. Training was pointless now. All she could do was spar with Gohan or wait till her own gravity room was finished at Capsule Corp...and that wouldn't be done for at least another three weeks.

So...what was she suppose to do? Gohan had boxing practice and then had to go home in fear of his mother. Not to mention she was still acting upset with him and planned to continue doing so for at least a little while longer. What else did that leave her?

Erasa was currently in the middle of dusting Videl's 'makeup center' as Videl had come to call the thing. Erasa had a more official name for it, a vanity something or other? Shivering, Videl tried to look away. Erasa had that look in her eye, like she had something planned. It always involved her, and it was always painful for her.

"So Videl, now that you have the time...why don't you come over here for a second?"

It's a trap! Its got to be a trap! Videl knew it, she could have sensed that before she had even gotten her powers it was so obvious. "Are you going to go to Sharpner's boxing match this Friday?"

Erasa giggled, Videl, trying to be clever and changing the subject. Well, she could play that game. "Yep. So are you by the way, I just got a text from Sharpner. Turns out you know who is going to be in his first boxing match too."

Videl sat up after hearing that, albeit she didn't mean to look so interested. She just...was. "Gohan?"

"Yup. He's supposedly going up against the guy who won state last year in their weight division. Some scouts are suppose to be there to watch that guy fight."

Videl unconsciously chuckled. "I feel bad for him. Scouts came to see him fight only for the guy to go up against Gohan, of all people."

"Sharpner's going up against someone else who did pretty good last year too. I wonder if Sharpner will be okay?"

"What are you talking about Erasa. He fought crime with you while me and Gohan were training, right? How could he lose when he can use energy?"

Erasa giggled, pointing her finger to the air as she recalled the moment. "Well, there was this one time Sharpy got shot when he wasn't paying attention, and the bullet grazed his shoulder. After that he always gets antsy whenever he fights."

"Idiot...he's lucky it wasn't any worse than just a scratch." Videl was feeling pretty good about herself, she was keeping Erasa off the Gohan topic and the make up topic. She was actually just starting to relax... "Say Erasa, you sure care a lot about Sharpner, what's up with that?"

Erasa's eyes twitched, finally finding the opening she was looking for. "Me and Sharpner? Please, we're like brother and sister if anything. What about you and Gohan? You go any farther than that one kiss on the balcony at Capsule Corp?"

Videl's face shot red. "Y-y-you saw that!"

"Anyway, Videl, I think we should both go to cheer them on. And since there will be news crews there..." Erasa smiled as she turned around, winking as she held one of Videl's greatest fears...a brush...in her hands. "...I think we should both go as dressed up as we both can get. And for that to happen...we have to start with you now."

A shadow cast itself over Erasa's face as she approached the bed where Videl was currently sitting. Videl could have gotten away easily, but some unknown force was holding her still. Was this what it is like for Gohan with his mother? Videl tried to shake free from her primal fear, but by the time she could move Erasa all ready had her.

-DBZ-

Gohan wasn't really nervous, it's just this was out of his comfort zone. In the gym of Orange Star, a boxing ring had been set up, and the lights had been dimmed. He didn't really have a reason to warm up, but he had done so all ready and now had nothing to do till it was time to start. Konkichi was rubbing Gohan's shoulder's down, when a notable celebrity walked into the small locker room.

Gohan looked up to find the one and only Hercule looking down at him. "Um, Mr Satan?"

"This is for you boy." Hercule handed Gohan a black silk over shirt that was folded up rather nicely. Blinking, Gohan unfolded it to find the words Delivery Boy in black letters on the back, causing him to nearly fall out of his seat. "Now don't think its cause I like you! It's...just...cause Videl told me to give it to you! You hear me! I-I don't approve of you two!"

And with that, Hercule stormed out. Gohan blinked, slightly shocked at the turn of events. Konkichi chuckled, acting quickly to keep Gohan's moral up. "I've never seen that man so agitated before. Even when Krillin beat him, he's really trying hard to accept Videl and you."

Gohan watched as Hercule left, not knowing exactly what to take from all this. Deciding not to worry about it and take it for what Konkichi said, be his teacher right or wrong, it gave him something else to worry about instead. Videl had kept her distance this whole week. Was she still mad about all those letters? What was he suppose to do, let her blow up the school? Sheesh! Women...some of those letters were really creepy! And a few were from guys! Its not like Gohan had a problem with that kinda thing, he risked his life so people could live their own lives in peace the way they wanted to for crying out loud, it just...was weird for him. It was definitely something new that he hadn't ever experienced back home getting tutored by his mother.

Getting off that tangent, Gohan thought about Videl again. Something else was strange about her during this past week, besides her keeping some distance. For the life of him, he couldn't put his finger on it. He could almost swear her hair was looking more silky and her skin a little more smooth looking...but that was probably just because she was keeping her distance to torment him. It was kinda upsetting that it worked so well to, he could barely get any sleep after the first day cause he was worrying so much if he had really upset her.

Suddenly Sharpner clapped right infront of Gohan's face, bringing him back to reality with a start. "You ready Books? They're ready for the fighters to come to the ring!

Up in the stands, the family and a few friends of Gohan had shown up to watch the spectacle that this was sure to become. Goku, Goten, Chi-Chi, Bardock, Krillin, 18 and Marron, Trunks, and Vegeta had all shown up to watch the first match. Goten and Trunks were currently scarfing down some walking taco's and were finding that while they were delicious, there was never enough in one bag. And so, they had bought as much as they could hold for at least a warm up snack before they went back for more.

Goku was looking around the stadium, slightly disappointed at how things had turned out. "Awww...Chi-Chi, you said that there would be a lot of strong people here for Gohan to fight! And the ring's so small...can you at least fly around?"

"No Goku, I said that the boy Gohan was suppose to fight won some competition last year, I think they called it state or nationals or something."

"But if he won a tournament, he should be strong, right? I was hopping to fight him too...but that kid over there is just a normal human!"

Vegeta huffed, his arms crossed infront of him. "Of course Kakarrot. He's just a human, there's no way he could be a challenge for a saiyan, even your softhearted son could take a human."

"Hey, us humans are quite strong if I do say so myself." Krillin grumbled, taking a munch at his slice of pizza that he had grabbed at the concession stand, knowing full well once Goten and Trunks went back there wouldn't be much left.

"Ya! Daddy's the stwongest awound! Wight mommy?" Asked Marron as she looked up at her bored to tears looking mother.

18 just looked down at her daughter and smiled. "The only they daddy has is a big head."

Krillin choked on his pizza, whipping his head towards his wife once he caught his breath. "Gee, thanks a lot."

Bulma smiled, eying two teens in the lower level seats who were looking pretty darn good if she did so herself...and she was pretty knowledgeable about fashion obviously. Bardock just looked around, taking in the sights and the smells. This earthling food was definitely good, but they never made enough of it. Only his son's woman seemed to know how to make proper proportions while keeping the food extremely good. He had to wonder about the Prince though, he couldn't put his finger on it...but his woman didn't seem like the one to cook. Maybe he had people to do that for him though. Ya...probably.

It was then that Gohan came out from the locker room and stepped into the lights. The Z-fighters there nearly fell out of their seats when they saw what was written on the back of his shirt. Goten and Trunks were rather lost about what was going on, but with all the food they had it didn't really matter. Bardock was equally confused, and Chi-Chi was mostly annoyed...but Krillin and Goku definitely enjoyed it.

"Say, who is this boy over here? You think he's really that Gohan boy, or is the coach just using the name to try and scare the other team?"

Now the Z-fighter's attention were drawn to two men sitting infront of them. One had a pencil and paper, and the other had a camera ready to capture the events. The man who the question was directed to just shrugged.

"Who knows, though I find it hard that some guy who made it to the finals of the World Martial Art's Tournament would bother risking injury in a high-school sport. And even if he is, Xore over here isn't someone you can go lightly on. I doubt whoever Orange Star High throws at this guy can win."

Well...needless to say Chi-Chi would have busted some skulls if Goku wasn't so fast. Holding his wife back, the poor saiyan put up with taking a few kicks to the stomach and some punches to the face. The hits didn't hurt of course...but still. He didn't want Chi-Chi to hurt this poor guys.

"Let me at them! Let me at em! My baby can take anyone you throw at him! You hear! Anyone!"

Gohan's face instantly went red, glancing up to find exactly what he was expecting to see. Jeez...mom, ever heard of tact? His eyes slowly drifted down to find another important girl in his live. There sat Videl, red face, dressed up with combed but still slightly spiky hair, an actually tight shirt, and tighter jeans that he'd expect Erasa to ware instead of Videl. He didn't even notice that infact Erasa was sitting next to Videl waring the same type of pants, of course, but that wasn't really his fault.

Her face also looked prettier than normal. Could it be...makeup? No...no, there just was no way. It had to be the lights. That's it, the lights.

A small...but still noticeable power level suddenly spiked to Gohan's left. It caught his attention, and he turned his head to find what it was. Flames, not energy, but real flames of pure anger were burning around Mr Satan. Gohan could feel the sweat slide down his face, man that guy was pissed. But still...he couldn't help but rinks another peak at Vid-

"Keep moving lover boy. You got a fight to win." Konkichi gave Gohan a push from behind, bring his mind back to the fight. Blushing, Gohan stepped into the ring. The guy he was going up against definitely looked strong. He looked pretty muscular for an average high-school student. He kept a confident smile on his face as well...until Gohan took off his silk robe. His chest was marked with scars of every kind, and they all seemed to all vary in age.

The parents and other spectators gasped in shock. The guy Gohan was going to fight lost his confident smile as well, it being replaced by wide eyes. Gohan nonchalantly started to hop around, keeping loose even though he really didn't need to.

Erasa leaned over to Videl. "Wow, that's Gohan?"

After introductions, the ref signaled for the start of the fight. Gohan's happy go lucky personality shifted instantly into battle mode. The challenger actually backed up, the killing instinct that was radiating off Gohan was almost to much. Looking in Gohan's eyes, he for a second could almost see himself killed.

Gulping, Xore charged, throwing punches wildly. Gohan dodged ever attack, trying his best to move as slow as he could while being serious. Goku leaned over the chair infront of him, bored out of his gourd. He nearly pouted, upset that he wasn't going to get to see Gohan fight someone strong. Needless to say, Bardock didn't know what to make of it...but he hit his son on the top of the head for good measure.

All but thirty seconds in, Gohan couldn't take it any more. Piccolo's training wouldn't allow him to simply ignore so many openings. In a flash, Gohan landed five, count them...five hits on his opponent. Three to the gut, one to the chest, and a final blow to the chin. Xore rose up into the air a good foot, and by the time he came down he was all ready out cold.

The ref waved his hands, looking over the boy. Nothing serious, but to knock someone out with...how many blows was that? This Gohan kid...he sure was something else. No wonder Hercule let him date his daughter!

Gohan let out a deep breath, returning to his normal non-combat self. Smiling, he waved reluctantly towards his mother who was cheering his name. Vegeta sighed, grumbling about why he had to even come to see this. Goku smiled, dodging both his wife and his father as he floated down towards Gohan. Landing on the ring, he smiled when he put his fists up.

"So, you can only use your feet in boxing? Sounds interesting, wanna let me try?"

Gohan blinked as he took off his boxing mits. "Well, there are other matches after mine you know. We can't just-"

"Aww, come on! It'll be quick, I promise!"

A serious look passed over Goku's face, and just as Gohan was about to turn around to get off the mat, Goku threw a perfect boxing straight towards Gohan. Gohan dodged, looking up to his father...an entertained look on his face. Taking a stance, they both started to circle around the mat and just as the ref was about to try and remove the father from the ring...they both started to go at it. It was like watching a boxing match in fast forward. The two scouts who had been sitting infront of the Z-fighters were star struck, and the guy with the pencil and paper dropped both his utensils.

Bardock was slightly annoyed at his son's childish attitude, but his son's mate move faster than he could. "Goku, Gohan, stop that this instant! You're both acting spoiled! I taught you both better, didn't I?"

With no one brave enough to hold Chi-Chi back, the woman made a v-line for the two fighters who were just having a friendly spar with the new style they had just picked up. However, Chi-Chi was beaten to the punch, literally, by Videl.

Videl slowly stood up from her seat, cracking her knuckles, and jumped only to blur out of view. Reappearing above the ring, she twisted around before slamming her fists into the heads of the father son duo. Both instantly sat down, nursing their new wound. Videl sighed, waving her hands around. After hitting those skulls, anything would be hurt.

"Ya both done?"

Both slightly pouted, sitting up straight as if it were Chi-Chi was there instead of Videl. Both answered in a trained unison to boot. "Yes ma'am."

Chi-Chi was impressed to say the least.

-DBZ-

The red eyed animal under the bush had succeeded. The device it had recreated was finally done. Now...the final obstacle. How to bloody get it on without thumbs...

Well...it looked like it had to use its tongue...again...


	4. A Blockbuster for the Whole Family!

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 4 – A Blockbuster for the Whole Family!

After breaking up the father son match, the normal high-schoolers came out for their turn to fight...which was of little importance and was about as boring as watching wallpaper dry to the Z-fighters. And so, after saying goodbye to Gohan and Videl, took off. Gohan's sensitive ears could clearly hear his mother going on and on about grandchildren any day now, but he decided to let it slide when she grabbed the supposedly hidden Mr Satan from his vantage point and dragged him out with the rest.

Erasa and Videl, now with Gohan watched as Sharpner, the last fighter of the evening, pummeled his opponent in much the same fashion as Gohan had. Using energy to strengthen attacks just wasn't fair.

After the final match, the group of four split to head for home, Sharpner with Erasa and Gohan with Videl.

"You know, those two have been hanging out a lot lately." Videl said, catching Gohan slightly off guard as he was to much into enjoying flying through the night sky.

"Hmm? Who are you talking about?"

"Sharpner and Erasa you blockhead."

Well, that was kinda uncalled for. She knew he wasn't any good at this romance stuff. He could hardly figure out what to do with it himself, he didn't have to worry about other people. That said, he was willing to at least try. "You think?"

"Yes...and I think its time you and I got some revenge."

Videl's face was then overcome with 'the look'. Gohan hadn't seen the look in a long while now, just under a year infact. Even still, it was a look hew knew well. Videl was planning something. Something that probably would lead to someone else being put in an uncomfortable spot. Now, Gohan wouldn't wish that look on anyone. He knew first hand what it brought with it. But he wasn't about to step in a take a hit, and then help her anyway. Might as well skip that middle part, and get on with the helping.

"So...what's the plan?"

-DBZ-

As Erasa and Sharpner closed in on their homes, they found themselves in a similar discussion. "Did you see Videl, Sharpner! I got her to dress up! I finally did it!"

"I'm pretty sure Books is the main reason for that, not you."

"Oh, hush." said Erasa, slightly pouting. "It's still a feat, no matter which way you look at it."

Sharpner chuckled. "I guess. I'm still surprised myself. But hey, we are _flying_ right now. Not much can surprise me anymore."

"Just imagine if they actually start dating!"

Sharpner nearly fell from the sky at that remark, and after recovering he had to sweat-drop. "You mean...Books still hasn't even asked her out yet?"

Erasa folded her arms, grumbling to herself. "No. I know they have at least kissed...but I only because we fallowed them and got photographic evidence! Videl won't tell me anything!"

"Those two...they're way to stubborn for their own good."

The proverbial light-bulb then went off over Erasa's head. "Oh! I know, we should set them up on a date! We'll all four go somewhere, and then we'll ditch those two. Without us there, they'll "

-DBZ-

Videl smiled...evilly. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. Okay, that was a lie, but those two k-kisses with Gohan didn't count. She felt like her good old self, or at least slightly closer to it. Gohan making her feel like an innocent girl all the time was pushed to the back of her mind, and one dark thing was at the front.

Revenge.

Oh yes, she'd get back at Erasa for all those jokes about her never having a steady boyfriend, and she'd be helping Gohan get back at Sharpner for always poking fun at him. How nice could a girl get?

The plan was simple. The four would go somewhere together, and then Gohan and Videl would ditch the blonds, leaving the two to their own devices. With any luck, they'd do something embarrassing when they thought no one was looking, and then the two strongest beings in the known universe could get their kicks by picking on their friends for it.

...didn't really sound as cool when said that way, but at any rate there was no way this plan could fail.

Videl smiled when she caught sight of her partner in crime. Getting up from her bed, she unlocked and opened the sliding door to her balcony just as Gohan touched down. Smiling, he graciously thanked her for opening the door. "Hey Videl. How's Saturday morning treating you."

"Good now that you're finally here. What took you so long?'

Smiling nervously, Gohan rubbed the back of his head. "Well, my mom is my mom after all. I had to promiss her a few things before she let me take the day off from studying."

Videl blinked, slightly interested. "Like what?"

That he can't have baby's till he's married, and that he had to try and hurry up and just pop the question as soon as possible. It didn't help that his newly found grandpa was also trying to give him advice, and that he should just fight her father for the right to have her and then after winning steal her away to make sweet...l-l...Gohan couldn't even think it. "That I have to be back before eleven." said a red faced Gohan.

Not noticing the blush, Videl continued on to the main point of this visit. "You figure out a good place to take those two?"

"I was thinking the movie theater...it's dark in there but with our eyes we should be able to see everything...Don't you think we should leave them alone if they like each other. It's kinda rude to get into other people's business...ya know."

Videl just turned, waving her hand. "Did they stay out of our business?"

"Well...not exactly..."

"Alright then."

Videl sat down on her bed, thinking about it. A movie was a good idea, but it had to be the right kind of movie. If Videl willingly suggested to Erasa that they should all go to a romantic movie, the blonds would figure something was up. But if there wasn't any romance in the movie, this would all just be a total waste of time.

"What movie did you have in mind, Gohan?"

"That's the thing. We don't have the internet at my house, so I couldn't look to see what movie's were playing and at what times."

"Chi-Chi?"

"Chi-Chi."

It was that moment that Videl's wrist communicator went off. Looking at it, she saw the name of just the blond they had been talking about.

"Hey Erasa, what's up?"

"Now before you say no Videl, just listen. There's this movie that I want to go see. It's not all romance, so you won't fall asleep. There's just a little itty bit, I promiss. Wanna come with me, Sharpner, and Gohan? I'll even let you invite you're lover boy."

Both Videl and Gohan blushed a little bit, but Videl was quick to recover. Whenever Erasa said there was just a little romance in a movie, that's all there was in it. This way, they all could go to a romance movie, but it wouldn't be her suggestion.

"Ya, I'll call him right away. What time should we meet at the movie theater?"

"Be there in an hour, twelve thirty. We'll be waiting there for you!"

"All right, see ya then."

And with a click, both ends hung up. Videl fist pumped, smiling happily, thought it seemed rather evil to Gohan. "All right! This is perfect!"

-DBZ-

"This is perfect! She said yes! She never says yes, but she said yes!"

Sharpner smirked, turning his attention back to his computer screen. "I...just can't believe this is a real movie."

"It's actually pretty good" assured Erasa, much to the surprise of Sharpner.

"You've seen it?"

"Of course I did, as soon as I saw the commercials for it I marked the opening day on my calender."

The confused Sharpner continued to press for info. "Why would you go alone then? I mean, I've been kinda wanting to see this movie too since I saw the commercials just as summer was ending."

"Oh, you three were only training. I don't even think Videl or Gohan know its even a movie yet. We would have heard of something if they knew."

"Well...that's true. Anyway, we got an hour before it starts. That mean's you have a less than a half an hour to get ready."

Realization dawned on the blond, her eyes becoming wide as saucers. "Omg! Get out Sharpner, I gotta get ready!"

-DBZ-

Gohan and Videl walked up to Erasa and Sharpner, whom were standing just infront of the movie theater. "Bought time you two got here Books. Any later and we would have had to wait for the next show!"

Gohan smiled, uneasily waving as they got closer. "Sorry, but we're here now. So, let's get in there."

With a nod from everyone, they all turned and entered the establishment. Evil glints in the girls eyes, and amused look on Sharpner's face, and Gohan just happy expression as he went along for the right.

That all changed when they saw the posters and cardboard stand-ups inside the theater. Gohan's eyes were about as wide as they could get, and Videl was frozen.

There was the Great Saiyaman in his traditional pose, a rather attractive girl clinging to his him, and the words "Saiyaman – The Movie!" above him.

Sharpner and Erasa nearly burst out laughing, but they kept a somewhat straight face. Videl didn't break eye contact from the...thing, as she talked to Erasa. "Erasa...what movie did you want to come see?"

"Isn't it obvious by now?"

Silence. A very long moment of silence. Finally Sharpner slapped Gohan's back, bringing him back to reality while the sound brought Videl along as well. "Well Books, let's buy these ladies some tickets."

"R-right!"

It didn't take long to get tickets, getting seats however was another story. The place, but to Gohan's child-like joy, was packed to the brim. The only place that was still open was in the first section of the seats, back row, right before there was a isle that separated the first from the second section which was angled at a much steeper rate.

Quickly grabbing the four seats before anyone else did, they settled into watch the show...the carefully drawn up plans on each sides mind slowly starting to drift away.

A voice boomed through the speakers just as the lights started to fade. Gohan sat on the edge of his seat, still in disbelief that he had his own movie. Just wait till he told Goten!

-Let the previews...begin!-

"This preview has been approved for all audiences."

Thump.

Thump – Thump.

Thump – Thump – Thump!

"THIS FALL..! See the movie that will ROCK – YOUR – WORLD!"

"Let's Dual!" It was then that a picture of a spiky haired man with leather pants and shoes, a black beater under a blue jacket, and a golden pyramid hanging upside down as it hung on a chain. He was holding a card out infront of him, trying to look as manly as he possibly could.

"The phenomenon continues with a new challenger..." The man from before faded away, and a new person with equally ridiculous hair that was black with gold stripes, dressed in similar clothes to the guy before, except for the brown boots and the orange knee and shoulder pads appeared on the screen.

"...willing to risk it all..." The scene changed to the second man, thrusting his fist forward for no real reason while screaming his head off.

"...will play a card game..." The voice of the second man returned, confident as ever. "I got you now!"

"...on motorcycles!" The scene ended with a red motorcycle charging the camera, the entire screen going black just before it hit. And from the darkness, the numbers number's 5/5/776 appeared.

-End first Preview-

Videl blinked. "I have one thing to say. Why?"

Sharpner's eyes were wide. "So cool!"

Gohan tilted his head to the side. "Card games...on"

"Shhh! Gohan, the next preview's starting!"

"Sorry Erasa!"

-And the second preview...starts!-

Dum...

Dum Dum...

"You should have acted...they're all ready here."

The old man's voice came through clear, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings. The screen showed a gray and broken landscape, and it moved from left to right as if the camera was what the flying beast was seeing.

"The Tang Mo Scrolls told of their return."

The scene changed, now much closer to the ground than the previous one. The screen bobbed up and down as if it were now it were seen through the eyes of someone running.

"Their defeat...was merely delay. For the time after Cell was defeated."

The screen now switched to scrolling down an old parchment which was covered in writing that wasn't earthling. The shouting of a quire was starting to make itself known, slowly but surly getting louder and louder.

"When the sons of Satan City would spill their own blood."

Now a picture of a large amount of rubble, with the Satan City billboard laying in a smoldering mess passed by on the screen.

"No one wanted to believe. Believe they even existed But when the truth dawns...it dawn's in fire!"

A large beast's shadow appeared over the rubble of Satan City, its flapping wings and the shape of the shadow showing it was a dragon.

"But there is one they fear..."

A human, presumably the one that had been seen running earlier, stepped out from behind the rubble, in plain view for the dragon.

"In their tongue...he is Dovakiin."

The view got closer and closer to the man who had stepped out, the camera now turning to try and keep the dragon in the shot as well.

"Hercule Satan!"

Finally, the scene got close to the man's face. There stood Hercule Satan, in all his mustache and afro glory.

The man smirked, opening his mouth.

"Nos Fra Dah!"

A white, almost smoke like energy seemed to shoot from the Champs mouth. It consumed the screen, and it faded to black just as the excitement had reached its peak, revealing the date 11/11/11.

-End Preview-

The crowd burst into cheers at the site of their champ. The small group of four however stayed in their seat. After a moment, Gohan turned to look at the others.

"That actually looks pretty cool."

"You nerd Books."

Videl quickly shushed the two boys, as the actual movie was finally going to start. Hey...she wanted to see who that girl was hanging onto Saiyaman...and to figure out why she looked so much like herself...

-SAIYAMAN – THE MOVIE-

"There's an old saying that power attracts only more power, and that those who have power are always looking for those who have more than them, and try to take them on to gain more power. However, at the top of the the world of Martial arts, there is a group that has band together in order to look out for one another. Their power brought them together, but instead of becoming enemies they became friends. In this group, the strongest man and woman bore a child...and that is where our story...begins."

"Roln Gaing, you get out of bed this instant!"

With a groan, a voice from under blue covers answered back. "Yes aunt Kumiko..."

A middle aged woman walked into the room, dressed in traditional Chinese dress along with having her hair in a bun. "Roln, the school bus is going to be here soon! If you don't hurry you won't get breakfast!"

That got the boy's attention, and quickly the covers flipped over to reveal his still sleepy form. He was shirtless, but it might have been better if he had one one. The boy was pure white with no muscles to speak of. Hardly the son of two great martial artists. His black hair was a mess of spikes, but one in particular hung down infront of his face instead of straight up like the rest.

Quickly enough, the boy was dressed. He wore a baseball cap that had a bill that was way to big to look normal, glasses with tape in the middle to hold them together, a white dress shirt with a pocket protector ready to do its thing, and black pants.

All in all, it screamed nerd.

Quickly he ran down the stairs to the dining room, where he found his uncle. "Morning Raditz."

The uncle in question looked old. Older than his wife anyway. With long white hair that reached below his shoulders, he looked like one of the few hippies to make it out of the 70's in one piece. "Morning. Better hurry, I think I just heard the bus pull up."

"Ah! I gotta run, bye!"

Cramming toast in his mouth, the young teen rushed out the front door. Just as he was getting close to the bus, the large vehicle started to pull away.

"No! Wait, I'm right here!" screamed the poor boy, but he was neither fast enough to catch up nor did the bus driver seem to care, and soon enough the bus was turning the corner on the next block without him.

Putting his hands on his knees, the boy started to suck wind. "Great...now what do I do? I can't go back and ask Uncle for a ride again..."

Just then a miracle happened. Right next to him on the road, a hover-jet came to a stop and the door opened. Inside, the beauty of Black Star High was smiling at him.

"Hurry up and get in, or we'll both be late!"

Roln nodded, and quickly got in. He couldn't believe his luck, for her to not only see him but to stop for him...he really owed a lot to this girl. Her name was Santi Latedv, and she was the town's resident protector. She had long black hair that just reached her shoulders, wore a baggy white shirt, and spandex shorts. She was about as popular as a girl could get, due to her father's success in the business world. Because of that, she always had money and that attracted a lot of people.

But the thing about Santi was, she always turned them away. She wasn't into being popular, and she only had a few people she allowed to be around her. Rather she focused on training and becoming stronger, and her strong sense of justice had actually landed her a job as a cop. She'd even get called out of class to help the fuz out when they got something to big on their plate that they needed help with.

And the main reason Roln was so thankful to this girl, was that she kinda looked after him. He knew he wasn't exactly what one could call social, and maybe he didn't have the best fashion sense...but for some reason he was always got the short end of the stick. His parents had died a long time ago, further back than he could remember, and because of that he always felt left out. And because of those things, he was shunned by everyone at school.

Everyone except this girl. She looked out for him, always saving him right before he got the wedgie of a lifetime or a swirly to remember. Roln turned away, finding his face red as he thought about it. She was the most popular girl in school, yet she was the only one who would take the time to acknowledge he existed. If only he could be a little more cool...just a little more...maybe he'd have the guts to ask her out.

But as it stood, he wasn't cool, and she was still rich and popular. They just existed in two different worlds all together. He should just be happy that she talked to him.

"Roln?"

Shaking his head, Roln turned to the girl. "Y-yes?"

"We're here...you gonna get out, or do you like my car that much?"

"Huh?...oh! Thank you Santi, you saved me again."

The girl smiled, nearly giving the poor nerd a heart attack. "It's no biggy. I know that bus drivers area ll asses, that's why I got a car."

"I'd get a car...but, my aunt always has me studying so I never have time to get a job."

Santi laughed, once again nearly killing Roln on the spot from her looks as the two entered into on the school. "I figured. You're pretty smart after all. You got perfect scores on midterms again, didn't you?"

Roln blushed, looking at his poorly tied shoes. "Y-ya..."

"You'll have to tutor me some time. I barely got by with a B average!"

"T-t-t-tutor?"

Santi nodded, looking over to Roln as she opened her locker. "Ya. If that's okay with you of course."

"O-of course its okay! Whenever you need some help. It's the least I can do for all the times you help me."

"How's tonight?"

Did she enjoy tormenting him or something? Poor Roln's mind was running on overload. "T-tonight? T-that would be fine. I don't have anything going on."

"Great! I'll stop by with my books right after school. See ya then!"

And with that Santi left. Roln could have died and gone to heaven a happy man. A girl? In his own room? Just the two of them? Forget himself, his aunt and uncle were going to faint when they heard this!

The rest of the day passed quickly, and before Roln knew it, he was waiting outside the doors of Black Star High for the one and only Santi. He couldn't believe his luck, the girl of every man's dreams was coming to not only his house...but his _room_ in order for him to try and help her study.

There definitely was a Kami out there.

As he was waiting however, instead of the girl of his dreams, the bane of his existence walked up.

"Hey four eyes! How's that report coming? I got the payment right here for it. Is it done yet?"

Roln didn't want to turn around, but he knew if he just ignored the bruit he'd only get double his payment...in advance even. And so, the nerd turned, holding his book bag infront of him. The stud of the school, Penn, along with his following of goons, stopped right in front of him.

"Well?"

Reaching into his back, Roln pulled out the piece of paper in question, albeit hesitantly. "Y-you know, you'll only get better if you practice at it. H-having me do the work isn't going to help you later."

"But that's were you're wrong my smart little friend! You see, with you taking care of my school work...I actually do have more time to practice. And the more I work on my throw, the better of I'll be later in life because I'll be playing in the ZFL. Don't you see?"

Reaching for the paper, he was almost about to grab it from the shaking hands of Roln when a third party took a hold of the paper. Everyone was startled to say the least when Santi ripped the report down the middle.

"Whoops. Looks like my hand slipped."

A flash of rage passed over Penn's face, but it soon relaxed as he put his mask back on. "If it had been any one else, I'd have to hurt em...but since it's my girl I think I can make an exception. So Santi-babe, maybe you'll repay me for looking the other way by coming over later? I got quite the spread ready, and my old man's gonna be gone for the rest of the week..."

"Sorry, _Penn_. But I got plans. Come on Roln. Let's go."

The nerd hesitated, especially after seeing the look on Penn's face...but he quickly followed after Santi. If anyone could keep him safe, it would be her.

The two jumped into Santi's jet-car, and as they were taking off Roln caught Penn smashing the hood of some car in with his fist. Wincing, thankful that he wasn't that hood, he turned to Santi.

"...thanks."

"You know, you have to stand up for yourself for once! Say no! You don't have to do that idiot's homework along with your own."

"B-but its not that hard. To be honest I didn't spend much time working on his. I was trying to make it look like he wrote it, so I didn't do any research on the topic he wanted me to do. And you won't always be around to protect me...so I figure it would help you out some if I could take care of myself from time to time."

Santi sighed, obviously a little upset at Roln's logic. "That's not what I mean when I say stand up for yourself Roln. You gotta build up some guts, or people will walk over you for the rest of your life."

Roln was quiet at that. She was right, of course. But it wasn't as simple as she made it out to be. He wasn't big or strong. That just wasn't who he was. He was quiet, but smart. He was a nerd, and no matter how much he wanted to change...he couldn't.

It was then when Santi's wrist watch started to beep. Taking one hand off the wheel, she pressed a button on it. Roln looked over, still slightly depressed at the events that had transpired so quickly after school. "What is it chief?"

"A fire! There was an explosion at 616 Crescent Ave! The house is totally destroyed, but we need your help to evacuate the nearby homes just in case they blow up as well. I know its just a little job for you, but we need all the hands we can get!"

"Right, I'll be right there!"

And with another click, the wrist communicator turned off. Santi turned to Roln, a sorry look on her face.

"Looks like we'll have to put studying off for a while. Sorry, I'll drop you off at your house first. Which one is it again?"

A pale faced Roln answered back, very very slowly. "Six...one...six...Crescent Ave..."


	5. Saiyaman the Movie

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 5 – Saiyaman the Movie

A pale faced Roln answered back, very very slowly. "Six...one...six...Crescent Ave..."

Santi's eyes widened in realization. Putting the petal to the metal, the jet-copter took off at top speed towards Roln's home, smoke coming into view quickly. As they touched down, both teens stumbled out only to find complete destruction.

The house Roln had left just that morning was just a crater now. Smoke billowed out of the hole in the ground, and the homes next to the crater showed signs of being to close to the blast. But the one thing that forced Roln to the ground and hold his stomach were the two blankets over something in the front lawn. For the most part the blankets covered up what was under them, but to the side, where Roln was sitting, he could make out one charred remains of a human hand.

His Aunt and Uncle...they were dead...

Santi put her hand on Roln's shoulder, trying to console the boy who had now twice lost people whom were important to him. First his parents when he was just a baby, and now this.

After a moment, Santi walked over to the Chief to see how she could help. Roln just knelt their on the grass, looking at from his aunt and uncle, to their home, and then back again. It didn't feel real. Were they really dead? Was he alone again?

"Roln, my boy. Long time no see kid."

He nearly didn't hear it, but he turned around to face the man who called his name. The guy was pretty short, and bald to boot. He wore a white suit and hat, and for some reason...he seemed familiar. He couldn't remember every meeting the guy, but yet he felt like he knew him.

"You...who are you?"

"Aww, you don't remember Uncle Chenuts?"

"Uncle? I have another uncle?"

"Well, not by blood of course. But I used to be good friends with your father. I used to look after you from time to time when your parents went out."

"Wait. You knew my parents?"

"Yep. Last time I saw you though was at their funeral. Sorry we have to meet under such horrible circumstances again."

"Wait...what's going on? I don't understand any of this!"

At that, Chenuts was silent for a moment. Looking around, he seemed to be just as uneasy as Roln was. Finally, the short man focused his eyes back on the teen and held out his hand. "We can't talk here. You're in danger. The sooner we get you out of here, the better."

"W-What are you talking about? Danger?"

"Come on, lets go for a drive in my car. I'll explain everything while I take you to my home on an island far away from here. The longer we stay here the more we risk the people around you being caught in this mess as well."

"I...what?" Roln glanced over at Santi, and then towards his Aunt and Uncles bodies. Was this...his fault? "Bu-But the police are here. Santi herself is right over there. There's no way we're in any dang-"

"Open your eyes Roln! Do you honestly think your lot in life is just an accident, or fate? This is as much an accident as your parents death when you were a baby!"

Roln's eyes widened. "What are you saying? My parents death...wasn't an accident?"

Chenuts shook his hand out infront of him, motioning for Roln to take a hold and stand up. "I'll explain more as we drive. Its not safe here."

Santi looked over from where she was standing with the other cops. Confused, she watched as Roln climbed into a car with another man in a white suit. And before she could even say anything, the hover-car took off.

-THE MOVIE-

"Tell me Nappa. How did it go? Are those two thorns in my side taken care of?"

A large man, who somehow got himself to fit into a black business suit, frowned as he looked towards the man who asked him the question. "The explosion seems to have gone off prematurely. We have confirmation of Raditz and his wife being killed. The boy's body however seems to either not have been found yet, or he wasn't in the house when it went off."

"Tch. Keep me informed. If the brat is still alive, I want him dealt with immediately. I will not accept failure."

"Of course...Vegeta."

"That family is the only one who can stop me. Their bloodline rivals my own, and must be snuffed out if my plan is to succeed. Hehe...soon this world shall be mine!"

-THE MOVIE-

Roln was silent as they drove off towards Chenuts' home. His parents had been killed, and had been covered up as an accident. And now his aunt and uncle had suffered the same fate. All at the hands of this Vegeta, some guy who was both a skilled fighter and had rich and powerful people backing him up.

"But...but why? Why did he do any of this? Why now? Why my family?"

"Raditz probably didn't tell you the truth. What did he tell you about your mother and father."

"...well, he told me that they both worked in business. That was a lie too?"

"Ha! Business. Your father probably couldn't even subtract one from sixteen without help."

"But then...if they weren't in business, what did they do? Who were they?"

Chenuts' expression stiffened, putting Roln on edge. "They were fighters. Martial artists! Infact, they were the best at what they did. You should be proud of them. Your parents were the strongest people I've ever seen."

"F-fighters...?" Roln was quiet after that. Was it really true? His parents were strong martial artists?

"Raditz probably kept the truth from you to try and keep you safe. He probably thought that if you didn't become a fighter, Vegeta would leave you alone. Sadly...it doesn't look like that was the case..."

Roln gripped his head. This was all happening way to fast, and he couldn't keep up with all that was happening. It still felt like one bad dream, one he hoped to wake up from soon. Yet, another part of him didn't question what Chenuts was saying. Like that part of him knew it to be true.

"We don't have much longer either. Vegeta has been killing off the rest of us fighters now. With Raditz gone now, all that's left is me...and you."

"M-m-m-me? But I'm not a fighter! I probably can't even do a single pull up!"

"Don't worry about that. I'll put you through a crash course training schedule. I need you in top shape if we're going to stop Vegeta. You have your parents blood, I know you can do it!"

"You're insane! There's just no way! I'm...I'm not strong like my parents. I'm weak. There's no way I would be any help to you."

Chenuts sighed, trying to stay calm as he approached his home. "That girl, Santi was it? Soon Vegeta is going to attack her home and try to steal the last piece he needs. Santi's father, the wealthy businessman happens to hold the last piece of a puzzle that Vegeta needs to unlock the secret to immortality. He'll stop at nothing to get it. He _will_ kill her if you don't stop him."

"K-Kill her? We can't let him do that!"

Finally, Chenuts smiled. "Now...that's what I wanted to hear!"

-THE MOVIE-

Santi sighed, packing her stuff into her bag. It had been half a month since she saw Roln get into that car with that strange man. The police chief said he new the guy from a long time ago, and that it would be fine, but it still put her on edge.

Shaking her head, she swung her bag around her shoulder and headed towards her jet-copter. Maybe that guy was Roln's extended family? It was possible, but they didn't really look like they were related. The guy had been pretty small, while Roln was pretty tall.

As Santi flew to school, she couldn't figure it out, or let her mind just forget about it. It really was bugging her that badly. When she landed though, she found the last thing she thought she would ever see.

There was Roln, black spiky hair and all, in the middle of a crowd with Penn and his goons getting ready to pound his face in. Quickly Santi landed and rushed out to save Roln. He was finally back and all ready those guys were on his case?

As she got close to the edge of the crowd, she began to hear what they were saying.

"So Roln, you've been gone for quite a while. We all thought you finally done yourself in."

"I was just visiting an old family friend for a while. Could you get out of my way?"

"You're so cold four eyes! And we as your friends were so worried about you too. Say, you get contacts or somethin? Or did ya _loose_ your glasses again?"

"I don't really need them anymore. Please excuse me. I gotta go."

"Hey, we're still talken here so you just stay put-" And with that Penn put his hand forcefully on Roln's shoulder and tried to push him back. In a blur, Roln grabbed Penn's hand and twisted it around, sending the boy into a riling amount of pain as he tried to squirm away from Roln's grip.

"Roln?"

The glare on the ex-nerds face dropped in an instant and changed straight to surprise. His head whipped around to find Santi standing there, looking at him with a confused face.

"H-h-h-h-hey Santi."

In all his shock he let go of Penn's hand, and the jock span around just as quickly with his hand cocked and ready. Roln turned back to face Penn, but it was to late and he took the punch square in the face. Roln flew back, landing on his side.

"Learn your place, ya punk!"

And with that Penn and his gang stormed off, the crowd dispersing now that the fight was over. Only Santi stayed to check on Roln.

"Are you okay Roln? Oh...I don't even wanna look."

Standing up, the boy dusted himself off. As he turned, he smiled nervously. "How is it?"

"W-what? You don't even have a black eye!"

"Really? Wow, I must be lucky. S-s-say. We should be getting to class. It'll be starting soon."

And with that Roln did an about face and quickly walked off. Santi just stood their for a while, still in shock. Was this really the same Roln she knew? He looked the same, besides the glasses...and yet he looked so different. His shoulders seemed broader, and he seemed to walk with more pride and confidence.

Blinking, she brought herself from her slumber and took off after Roln. The day passed quickly, and not before long it was lunch time. As Santi was walking with her food towards her friends at a table, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye moving fast. Her jaw dropped when she looked to see what it was.

Roln was sitting at his own table with a mountain of food, piling it into his face as quickly as he could. Since when did he eat so much?

"Hey babe! There's a spot saved just for you over here!"

Santi groaned when she heard Penn's voice. "Leave me alone all ready."

As she walked past Penn and his gang's table, one of them stuck their legs out just as she passed by. Not seeing it due to her attention being focused on Roln who was at the next table, she tripped over it. Her food and tray going flying as she fell forward.

With a reaction time that would impress anyone, Roln suddenly caught Santi with one hand while catching the tray and all the food on it with the other. The boy smiled happily, trying his best to hide his blush. Even Santi couldn't help but blush a little. What happened to Roln when he was away?

"I..can stand on my own now. Thank you."

"R-right. Sorry." And with that Roln stood her up and handed her food back.

Many more oddities like that happened throughout the day. Everything from Roln breaking his locker when he tried to open it to him actually scoring a goal in PE soccer. Despite looking the same on the outside and acting the same as well, he was different. Santi just couldn't believe it was the same person.

At the end of the day, she was hit by one final curve ball. As she exited the school, she found Roln waiting for her. The two quickly walked towards one another, and when they finally met Roln was the first to talk.

"Hey, sorry about leaving right after the explosion. I...had some family matters to take care of. Still want to study together?"

Santi just blinked, when finally it hit her that they were planning to study together that day. "S-Sure! Should we go to my place?"

"That sounds good. Where I'm staying is pretty far away."

As they climbed into Santi's jet-copter, she continued to ask questions. She couldn't help but be curious about him and where he had gone off to. "Oh? Where are you staying now?"

"A family friend is letting me stay at his house. Its kinda small, but its nice."

"And that's where you've been for the past few weeks?"

"Yup. He lets me stay there as long as I help out around the house."

"I see."

The rest of the drive passed by in silence. Roln glanced over at Santi from time to time, but for the most part tried to keep his eyes on the window to his side. It was nice to see her again, that was for sure. Soon enough they landed at Santi's mansion, and she lead the awestruck boy inside.

"I'm gonna do a few rounds in the gym first. Do you mind waiting for me?"

"Oh, n-no. Its fine. I'll watch some TV or something."

That's what he had said...but in all honesty he had no idea where the living room was in this place. It was like a maze, and without Santi with him he couldn't make heads or tails of any of it. After what felt like forever, Roln finally started opening door after door to see if he could find something. Anything. On his fourth door however, he opened up someone's bedroom.

Looking inside, he found it rather plain when compared to the other rooms at least. This room was painted a normal white, with a near peach carpet. Walking inside now, he saw a wooden desk, a pretty big bed with white covers, and a large window on the other side with blinds slowly fluttering in the wind.

Roln made his way over to the desk, spying a picture on the top of it. He picked it up, finding a younger picture of Santi and her family. She sure was cute looking then. Not that she wasn't now of-course. Its just he had never seen her smile like she was in that picture.

Suddenly, he heard a door open. Looking to his left, he found a second door in the room, and to his dismay one Santi wrapped up only in a towel standing infront of him.

Both froze in place, their eyes looking back at one another. After a few more awkward seconds, Santi let out a scream and Roln dashed for the hallway.

"Get the hell out!"

"Sorry!"

Roln heard a few things hit the door just as he closed it behind him, and he couldn't help but sigh in order to try and calm himself down. Damn she was good looking for focusing more on fighting and not really caring about looks.

Santi gripped a bottle of shampoo, it being one of the last things she had grabbed to throw at Roln before he had shut the door. Red faced and angry, she stormed off to get changed.

Not much later, the door opened to Santi's room. Roln felt uneasy, especially when he popped his head in. Santi just sat at her desk, giving the poor guy the evil eye. Gulping, Roln walked over and sat down next to her.

"S-so...what do you need help with?"

And so the evening went on. At first the two focused on school work, and they both actually did get pretty far on their homework. But soon after they started getting caught on tangents, talking about what Roln had missed when he had taken that break from school and what Roln had been doing.

Roln dodged questions about what he had specifically done though. He didn't want anyone to know what he had been doing, for safety's sake.

Before either knew it, they were laughing happily all the way till the sun had set.

"Oh, look Santi. The sun's all ready down. I should get going soon, so lets finish up this math quickly."

"Hahaha...oh, oh alright. Last one it looks like. If B is 9, and C is 60...what is A in the equation A-B=C?"

"This is an easy one, can you do it Santi?"

"Its...69...right?"

Silence filled the now dark room, as both teens glanced towards one another. And finally in the blink of an eye, both boy and girl had made their way half way across the room to the bed while missing half their clothes all ready.

As the screen faded to black, a now ripped chest of Roln was visible.

-THE MOVIE-

Darkness consumed the mansion Santi called home. And it was under that cover of night that two intruders floated over the fence.

"Tell me Nappa. Are you ready for immortality?"

"Hehe, of course Vegeta. Show me the way."

Unknown to the two thieves however, another man was watching them. His cape fluttered silently in the wind as he watched the two move into the building. Behind a vizor, the man closed his eyes, recalling what Chenuts had told him.

-THE MOVIE-

"Your training is now complete Roln. You've come as far as I can take you. The rest you have to do by yourself. But, I do have one last think go give you!"

"Really? What is it?"

"It belonged to your father." And with that, Chenuts handed Roln a rather large box. Setting it down on the ground, he popped off the top to see what was inside.

Needless to say, he was rather startled at what he saw.

Picking up an orange helmet with antenna to boot, Roln couldn't help but just stair at it. "My father...really wore this thing?"

"Your mother too. They always tried to get us to ware it too. God knows I wouldn't be caught dead with that thing on though. But since its your fathers, I figured you would like to ware it."

-THE MOVIE-

As silent as the cold night itself, Roln jumped off the side of the mansion. It was time to avenge his family.

-THE MOVIE-

Santi woke up to a cold bed. Groaning, she looked around to find one Roln missing. Did he dump her there? No, he was to naive and nice for that. The guy probably got lost after trying to find some food or go to the bathroom or something.

Getting up...and dressed, Santi exited her room. "Roln?"

She wandered from hallway to hallway, finding neither hide nor hair of the guy she was looking for. Did he really fly the coop?

It was then that she rounded a corner and found herself looking right into the eyes of a flame like haired man followed by a much larger bald man. They both just looked at each other for a while, not exactly sure what to do.

"Uh...who are you guys?"

Vegeta coughed, trying to clear his throat and sound innocent. "S-Security?"

"Nice try. It just so happens I'm the security around here."

"Oh...you don't say?" The short man dropped his act of innocence, a cold laugh coming from him. "Nappa, tell this little lady what we think of her security system."

Before Santi could move, or even scream, a large hand had covered her mouth.

-THE MOVIE-

Roln made his way through the Santi Mansion. With his new unlocked powers, he new exactly where he had to go. Despite the two trying to suppress their prescience, he could tell exactly where they were. It was only a matter of time till he caught up to them and caught them in the act.

Rounding the final corner, Gohan was startled when blinding lights forced him to shield his eyes. Groaning, the teen was forced to wait till his sight adjusted.

"I see you're dressed like your clown of a father."

"My father was a proud man." Lowering his arm, Roln's eyes could finally make out who was standing before him. But a third body attracted his attention. "S-Santi?"

The girl squirmed in her binds, but stopped to look up at the stranger who somehow knew her name. "Uh...do I know you?"

"Erm...uh, no-no. I've just seen you with your father in the news a few times is all. Never met before in our lives. Nope, never."

"Who are you anyway...and what's with the outfit?"

And with that, Roln smiled. "I'm glad you asked miss." Jumping into passition, he quickly flashed through the posses Chenuts taught him. Had his father really done all this silly stuff? No matter, Roln ended it with his father's trademark stance, forming a V with his hands infront of his helmet.

"I am...the Great...Saiyaman!"

The larger man chuckled to himself. "He really is his father's son. Making a fool of themselves must run in the blood."

"It seems that way, doesn't it Nappa. No matter. Soon we'll have what we came here for. But first we'll finish off the Great Saiyaman...I finished your father all those years ago! And now...I'll do the same to you!"

"Not if I can help it!" With a sudden sound of crashing glass, a nearby window broke as Chenuts broke through. The larger man quickly moved to intercepted, and their fight was pushed to a nearby room.

"So, you think you can beat me?"

"I know I can. I won't fail Santi!"

"Then bring it on!"

And in a flash of strings and punches...if you could call them that, the two went at it. Flying all over the room. Explosions seemed to come out of nowhere. Spears shot out of walls for no good reason. But the most bizarre thing of all, was when Vegeta seemed to slam his head into the wall without Roln laying a finger on him.

Just as suddenly as the fight started, the two entered a deadlock. They pushed against one another, but they were even in strength. It wasn't till Santi squirmed over and kicked one of Vegeta's legs out from under him. When he lost balance, the Saiyaman moved quickly and threw him over his head into a wall.

Vegeta slumped over, surprisingly out cold. Just as that happened, a loud thud was heard from the other room, followed soon after by Chenuts walking back while dusting himself off.

"Looks like we won the day!"

"Likes like we did, Roln."

"Yup. Hey, let me help untie you Santi."

"Roln?"

"Yes Master Chenuts?"

"N-nothing...you really are your father's son."

And once Santi was untied, she quickly hugged Saiyaman tightly around the neck. The two span around each other while Chenuts smiled as he watched the two...the camera slowly panning back and out as it faded to black.

The narrators voice, relieved to be Chenuts, talked even though the screen was dark. "And so, Saiyaman continued to help Santi defend the town with his newly acquired power. Standing up for those of us who are weak and alone, he lived up to his father's name. And they lived happily...ever...after."

-Roll Credits-

This has been a Red Ribbon Production. All information was obtained from Bob the Spy, an under cover agent who did the investigation of Saiyaman's past. This story, while completely fictional, was based off that information he obtained.

-END-

Gohan just sat there. He didn't need to look to his side to know Videl was glowing a soft white light. He also knew well enough to not mistake that soft glow for kindness. Oh no...she was pissed. Embarrassed too. As was he of course. Its not every day that you get to watch yourself get it on with the girl you like on the big screen.

Despite his embarrassment, Gohan also pitied Bob. Trunks was probably also in the line of fire, but he at least could take care of himself. If Bob thought Trunks was scary...just wait till Videl caught up with where ever he got off to.

Finally, Videl stood up. "I think I'll be going to Capsule Corp for a while."

Gohan gulped, looking behind her to find Sharpner and Erasa. "I...better go with her."

"Right...well, make sure she doesn't kill anyone." said Sharpner, not even trying to be humorous when he spoke. He was serious, and for good reason.

"Latter V. I hope you enjoyed the movie!"

Videl's head whipped around to where Erasa had been standing, but the girl was wisely already making a break for it.

Grumbling, the blushing Videl turned to look at Gohan. They both looked at each other for a while, until they no longer could bare the embarrassment and had to look away. Gritting her teeth, Videl imprinted what she had learned today into her brain.

Never mess with blonds, Saiyan or not.

**Author's Annotation:**

First, a funny story. I was taking a final today. It happened to be multiple choice. Pretty simple stuff. But the last question was probably my most epic college level question ever. I nearly had to get it wrong on purpose it was that epic. Ya see, answer D happened to be "Over 9000 people."

Almost circled that one just because. To bad I needed to do good on the test.

Anyway, the plot returns next chapter. Promise. Just think of these last few chapters filler. But that's over now, and this saga's plot kicks in next chapter.

PS: Yes, that entire movie was basically just one horrible joke to set up the return of Bob the Spy. I have to say, its weird trying to write poorly. Anyone ever have one of those chapters that just...wouldn't...end? I'm really sorry about that, making everyone read so much sub par writing from me. It...just...wouldn't...end.

Its basically a mushed up parody of spiderman, saiyaman, and pokes some fun at the relationship some of the fics here put Gohan and Videl through, not to mention the ending pretty much an exact copy of that little film the Z-fighters were forced to watch before the WMAT started. Now that...I'd like to see the writer who wrote that little movie. Anyway, I wanted it to come off like all those super hero movies do. Poorly.

Except for the first Iron Man. I didn't mind that one. I used to kinda like spiderman too, but then in the third one he turned into an emo instead of a stuck up jock...kinda made me sick to my stomach. Damn you Hollywood! Eh...some things should just stay in cartoon form.


	6. Forlorn Hope x2

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 6 – Forlorn Hope x2

The small animal under the bush finally did it. It wasn't easy, his tongue felt like it had gone through a meat grinder, not to mention everything would taste like a mix of grass and leather for a while, but he had done it. The device was on his neck, and now he only needed to find his target. There were a few he could choose from, any would work.

Hopping off, he made his way towards his goal. It was time, time for him to strike again.

-DBZ-

"Videl? Can I just ask what you're gonna do when we get there?"

"Not much, just ask Trunks a few questions is all."

"...can I believe that?"

"You believe me...don't you Gohan...?"

Gulping Gohan smiled, trying to hid his nervousness behind it and failing. "O-Of course I believe you!"

"Good, now hurry up. We're almost there."

Sure enough, Gohan looked ahead to find West City closing in fast. Well, the city had survived Vegeta all these years. It could survive a angry visit from Videl too...right?

-DBZ-

Bardock scratched the back of his head, looking over his new home. He was silent, his sharp eyes taking in every detail. To the right was his son's home, the same size as his own. To be honest, the house was much larger than it needed to be, but the Prince's woman insisted on it being at least this big. He had only been dead for what...25, 35 years? So strange how much things had changed since then...

Back then he felt lucky when he upgraded to the space-pod 3.2. Now the royal family was personally giving him living quarters.

Grumbling, he walked in and made his way to the gravity room. He recalled the day he had asked Kak...er, Gok...his son how he had managed to get so strong in order to beat Frieza. He had said that he had trained in one of these rooms at 100 times gravity. That was amazing in itself, yet such an easy way to gain the power to be able to beat the overlord. If only someone had thought of inventing one of these devices back on Planet Vegeta.

Turning the dial to 100, Bardock casually pressed the button to start. A robotic voice answered, informing the Saiyan of the coming change.

"Set to 100 times earth's normal gravity. Initiating...now."

Bardock suddenly got a sense of foreboding, causing him to brace himself just as the gravity kicked in. The room around him seemed to glow red as his body slowly started to sink down towards the ground. This was insane! The amount of force that was being pushed upon the body...why, he could barely keep himself from falling down! Focusing all his strength into his right hand, Bardock tried with all his might to try and lift it to shut this machine off.

The seconds felt like hours, and it seemed like it took forever to get his hand up. His lungs felt like they were being squeezed in a vice. Sweat was pouring down his face as he pressed the off button. The whirling sound of the gravity room stopped, and the color of the room returned to its normal shades. Bardock quickly fell down, sucking in air as fast as he could. His head bounced off the floor a little as he collapsed, the whites of his eyes consuming the pupil's for a spit second.

A light. A green one to be exact. Blinking, Bardock could see himself in a place he didn't recognize, with a green light in the sky. The sky...that looked odd too. Forgetting about the light for a second, he noticed something especially strange about it. In whatever building they were in, the roof was partially missing, and behind the light was pitch black. Not even a single star.

Before he could figure out anything more, his pupils came back into focus and he saw the ceiling of the gravity room. Sitting up a little, Bardock gripped his throbbing head.

"Great. Now what the hell was that?"

-DBZ-

Gohan and Videl landed on the green grass of Capsule Corp. It was...quiet. That was odd, even for a weekend. The two looked to one another, their faces clearly saying to one another that they knew something was up. Quickly they made their way into the large dome, trying to find someone to talk to. The first one they found was none other than the prince Vegeta. Their suspicions only grew when they saw how strange Vegeta was acting.

"Uh, hey Vegeta. What's up?"

Vegeta's head shot up towards the teen, his eyes reflecting the thousands of thoughts flowing through the Saiyan's mind at a mile a minute. "The woman all ready called you?"

"Called us? Why would she call us?"

"She didn't call you? Then why are you here!"

Videl growled, stepping into the conversation. "We're here about your child."

"So she did call you."

"W...what?" Videl was thrown off, blinking. Gohan did the same, looking towards Vegeta with a very confused look.

"Make up your minds all ready! Did the woman call you or not?"

"She didn't Vegeta. " said Gohan, growing more and more curious by the second. He couldn't help it, the inner child in him really wanted to figure out what was going on.

"If you have no business here, then you'll be fighting me. I need to let off some st-"

"VEGETA! WHERE THE HELL IS MY PICKLE, KIWIFRUIT, AND PEANUTE BUTTER SANDWICH!"

Startled, everyone turned towards the nearby door in the room. Gohan and Videl were put off, the thought of such a sandwich making their stomachs churn, but also curious as to why on earth someone would want such a thing. Vegeta however sported a face of pure horror on his face. Quickly he turned back to face Gohan and Videl.

"Brats, listen quickly! I was never hear, you hear me? Never!"

And in a blur, just as the door opened with Bulma behind it, Vegeta disappeared. The woman sported bags under her eyes, and clearly was irate. Both teens gulped, bracing themselves.

"Oh, hey Gohan. Videl. Have you happened to see the Prince of Second Best around here?"

"...uh, haven't seen him?" Gohan glanced to Videl, but then back to Bulma. He couldn't place it...but she was off. What did she do to get Vegeta to actually be scared of her?

Bulma glared, but brushed it off. Videl closed her eyes, silently preparing herself. "So...what's up? Why're you looking for Vegeta?"

Gohan moved to cover Videl's mouth, but he was to late. The words escaped her lips just as he covered them with his hand. She was startled at first, but then glanced up at the spiky haired teen. Glaring swords at Gohan, she was about to shrug him off her when Bulma answered back. And boy...did she answer.

"Oh, you want to know why? I had asked him to do a SIMPLE task such as get me my DAMN sandwich, but apparent he can't even do that for ME! I mean, is it that hard of a task! Its just two slices of bread, peanut butter, a few pickles, and a kiwi. HONESTLY! How HARD could that be? He's so LAZY! I'm his wife, mother to his CHILDREN! But NOOOO, of course he can't even make a KAMI DAMN sandwich for me. Just wait till you have a Saiyan baby Videl. Its like they start training while they're still inside you! That's all they're good for anyway. All they do is train ALL DAY LONG. They don't do a damn thing else. They can't even help with the dishes! Can you believe that! The dishes! DISHES DAMMIT!"

And then silence fell on the room. Gohan and Videl's eye were wide, and the teens were slightly blushing as well. But that wasn't important at the moment, there were bigger things going on here than they thought. Gohan slowly released Videl's mouth, slowly standing up. A cold sweat was rolling down his face. He knew what this was. He had seen it twice before. She...she was...!

"You said...children? As in more than one?"

Gohan slapped himself. Why Videl? Why must you try to talk with her? He had actually managed to sneak half way to the door, and she just had to open her mouth again. Why?

Bulma turned to Videl, her scowl lightening to a glowing smile. "Ohh, yes. I'm almost three months pregnant! I was actually just about to call Chi-Chi and tell her about it, but first I wanted to eat my...VEGETA! WHERE THE HELL IS MY SANDWICH!"

When the rabid woman turned around to look for Vegeta, Gohan quickly grasped Videl's hand and broke for the door. Just as they made their way through Gohan spotted Trunks, who was waving them over from a doorway.

"Hurry! It'll be safe over here!"

Gohan whipped around the corner, zooming towards Trunks. The chibi darted in just as the two teens followed after. The door shut behind them, and Gohan put his hands on his knees as he took deep breaths.

Videl however put her hands on her hips. "Gohan, why'd you do that? I wanted to congratulate her."

The two Saiyans looked and Videl with wide eyes. Was she insane? "Trust me, I've seen her pregnant before. We'll at least need her mother or Chi-Chi in the room before we try anything else."

Trunks plopped down on the ground, letting the breath he had been holding escape before looking back up. "My mom can be crazy...but I've never seen here like this before. I've been holding up in this room ever since she started acting funny."

Videl cocked an eyebrow. "You've been living in this room for almost three months out of fear of your own mother? Really?"

The chibi nodded slowly, the past battles for survival obviously passed through his mind. Gohan put his hand on the smaller one's shoulder. "Its okay. We'll get my mom here. That way it should be safe. We'll probably do what we did when Goten was born, and have everyone move here to Capsule Corp for a while."

Trunk's eyes started to water up. "You-you'd do that for me?"

Comically, Gohan's eyes started to water up as well. "It's okay, we'll get through this together!"

Face-palming, Videl just shook her head. "You guys are ridiculous. She's just pregnant, she's not lost her mind or anything."

Gohan and Trunks looked to Videl as if she were crazy. After a moment, they returned to business. Gohan started off by asking about the current situation of home base.

"So, how have you been getting rations? Is there a hidden fridge in here or something?"

Trunks shook his head, his eyes once again flashing back to the past battles. "N-No...every day I've had to make a run for the fridge if I wanted to eat."

"My kami...and you're still alive? That's amazing!"

Videl face-palmed again. "Okay, enough of this. I'm leaving. You two can keep playing soldier survival if you want."

Trunks acted quickly, diving after Videl. "No! Wait, if you go out there you might not come ba-"

And with a thud, he hit the door face first as it closed after Videl. Slowly he turned around, holding his face as he looked to Gohan.

"I...I...I'm sorry Gohan...I couldn't save your girlfriend..."

Gohan smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "S-She's not my girlfriend...but it should be okay. I want to see something anyway. She is a girl too...so maybe she can act as Chi-Chi till mom really gets here and help calm down your mother. Now, lets find a phone!"

Videl rolled her eyes as she returned the corner to where Bulma had been. As she peaked into the room, she found the blue haired woman on the phone.

"YES! I know, isn't that just great! Oh, I hope its a girl. I don't think I could handle another boy Saiyan. … Oh, please do! We'll do the same thing as when Goten was born! It'll be nice to have another woman in the house besides my mother. … Yes Goten can come, Trunks has been acting funny lately. … That's a great idea! If Videl helps me have the baby, she'll be ready for when her and Gohan have one!"

Videl's hair stood on end, and she nearly fell onto the ground from her hiding spot. Still holding her position though, she continued to eavesdrop.

"Oh...she really is pretty. If she put on some makeup she definitely would be drop dead gorgeous! … You think we should? I'd like to get another girl in our group, but I don't know if we should force a makeover on her. … I guess your right, if we tell her Gohan will like it, we could probably get her to do anything! … But you have to wait for grandchildren till after they get out of college! I know you want them to get it on like bunnies right now, but their careers have to come first! … I know you know that. I just think that I need to remind you a few times is all. … Oh, I do still have that dress! Oh, that would look amazing on Videl, especially if she wants an interview for a summer job here at Capsule Corp! Say, I'll go find it, and when you get here we'll make her put it on! … No, I don't think its overdressing for an interview. I always say a girl can never look to good."

Videl broke towards the door where Gohan and Trunks had been. Quickly she opened it and closed it behind her, startling the two boys whom were currently strengthening their defensive position. Spooked, they ducked behind their stronghold while they looked to see who it was. Gulping, Videl cracked a nervous smile.

"Th-The left side looks like it could use a f-few more pillows. H-here, I'll help."

-DBZ-

It didn't take long for Chi-Chi and Goten to show up, whom were quickly followed by Krillin's family along with Yamcha and Puar. Krillin was waving to 18 as she walked into the room where the rest of the women were, holding Marron as Yamcha looked around uneasily. As the door shut behind the blond beauty however, the men shot down a hallway to the left and stopped only to knock on the door three times, followed by another two after a small pause. The sound of a door unlocking was heard, and quickly the three entered the room, shutting the door behind them and locking it. Sighing, they looked over the room.

The underlay of pillows was apparent. The foundation built up of larger heavier ones, while the top were lighter, fluffier, and all about smaller. Blankets then covered over the pillows, along with covering the inside of windows and the front of the doorways. The structure didn't reach all the way to the ceiling, but it was a solid eight feet up. Unlike other such forts, blankets did not cover the top, rather choosing to go with the open air style.

Risky, but if they were to live here for a few months, it was necessary.

Marron giggled, wiggling with excitement. "Woooow! Look daddy! The piwwow fowt is weally big!"

"It'll be bigger by the time we're done with it. Wanna help make our knew home for a while?"

Needless the say the small girls eyes sparkled, and she quickly nodded. Chuckling, the father set his daughter down and she quickly made her way under the blanket door into the fort. Yamcha checked the door to make sure it was locked one last time before turning to his short ally.

"Well, here we go again."

"Ya...so, should we call this one Fort Forlorn Hope number two in honor of the last one?"

"Lot a good memories in that fort. Why, I can remember the time you asked 18 to come in your room when you were trying to get her to like you! Her face was hilarious!"

"Don't remind me...it was so embarrassing..."

"Hey, it worked out in the end, right?"

"Well, ya...but she still makes fun of me for having invited her in the first place."

"Really? She doesn't seem like the kinda person to poke fun like that."

The two slowly made their way into the fort, the pillows scattered everywhere making it clear that the fort's insides were far from complete.

"You'd be surprised. When its just the two of us she really opens up."

"Huh...go figure."

Hearing Yamcha and Krillin enter the building, Goku peaked his head out from a corner of a pillow wall. "Oh, you guys finally showed up huh?"

"Hey Goku, ya, we just got here. You see where Marron got off to?"

On cue, she rounded the corner Goku had just emerged from, trying her hardest to carry three pillows and a blanket to where she had been instructed. The three men chuckled, looking down on the spectacle. "She's a hard worker Krillin. She's gonna be a strong one like her mom!"

"Don't scare me Goku. The thought itself has given me nightmares."

Rubbing the back of his head, he chuckled with a toothy smile. "Well, if you guys wanna help, we got a lot to finish before night falls. I think the outer wall is done, but we could use some help making the rooms."

Yamcha and Krillin nodded, heading towards the back of the fort.

Through all this childish shenanigans, one spiky haired Saiyan was trying to control himself. Bardock's eyes were twitching, his blood vessels throbbing, and his anger slowly but surely rising. Here he was, a proud Saiyan warrior. Father of a super Saiyan. Grandfather of a super Saiyan. His bloodline rivaled that of the royal family itself! As a third class warrior, he couldn't even help but feel nothing but pride. And yet...

And yet...

Here was his son's friends and family...currently working hard...and every serious, on a god damn pillow fort. A freakin pillow fort. One so big, that the out wall created an ark around the door, an inner area for rooms, a secret passage to go get food, a huge monitor the earthlings called a TV, and then some extra blankets near the windows just in case. It was ridiculous! Saiyans, fighters! Making a pillow fort and actually taking it seriously!

It was then that a rap on the windows caught everyone's attention. At first, no one dared to move. But eventually, Goku moved towards the windows and pulled the blinds to find Vegeta floating outside. Everyone sighed slightly, and Goku opened the window.

"What's up Vegeta?"

"Tell me Kakarrot...will these pillows and blankets really keep the woman out?"

Goku blinked, turning to look at Gohan. To be honest, he wasn't sure himself...but it was fun to do at least. Gohan stopped what he was doing and straightened up. "That's right, you went into space back then to escape my mother instead. Well, me and the guys built this after you left...and it did work."

Krillin cleared his throat, getting peoples attention. "Don't forget about the Incident of Month 7."

"How could we forget," shuttered Yamcha. "we nearly died, but the fort survived...for the most part anyway."

Vegeta glared around those in the room. "So will it work or not?"

Gohan gave the nod. "Ya, it'll keep us safe."

"...I'll go get some more pillows then."

Bardock oh so quickly and gracefully slipped from his spot on the wall, landing on the back of his head with his feat in the air.

Videl chuckled, giving Gohan a nudge as everyone slowly calmed down. "Its getting late, I should probably get home."

"Right, want me to fly ya home?"

"Honestly Gohan, I'm one of the strongest beings in the universe. I can manage a quick flight home."

Gohan smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Right...well, at least let me see ya out. I'll be right behind you, just gotta tell Goten where to put those pillows."

"Fine I'll wait. But hurry up!"

The two teen's parted, Videl quickly making her way out of the fort. Sneakily, she opened the door and started to walk towards the closest door outside. Pushing the door open, she had to close her eye when a slight burst of cool night air rushed in and hit her.

Taking a few steps out, she turned to look behind her. "Just what is taking him so long?"

"...ribbit."

Blinking, she faced forward and looked down. At her feet, sat a green frog. Blinking, she curiously looked over it. It was a strange one, it had antenna for crying out loud. Was it a science experiment or something? And what was with the thing's collar?

The frog suddenly smiled, looking right into Videl's eyes.

"**CHANGE NOW!**"

-DBZ-

Gohan quickly rushed out of Capsule Corp, finding Videl standing right infront of the doors. "Sorry for taking so long, it's pretty crazy in there. But it's good to see everyone get together and act funny like that. I know its strange to say, but it makes me happy to see everyone like that. Ya know?"

"Oh...I know exactly what you mean. You could even say...I'm so hoppy I could burst! Huhaha-buhahaha-buhahahahahaha!"


	7. Its Not Easy Being Green

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 7 – Its Not Easy Being Green

Taking a few steps out, Videl turned to look behind herself. "Just what is taking him so long?"

"...ribbit."

Blinking, she faced forward and looked down. At her feet, sat a green frog with red eyes. Leaning down to get a closer look, she curiously scanned over it. Talk about a strange one, it had antenna for crying out loud. Was it a science experiment or something? And what was with the thing's collar?

The frog suddenly smiled, looking right into Videl's eyes.

"**CHANGE NOW!**"

Before Videl could react, a golden light shot from the frogs mouth, and surprisingly a beam from her own mouth shot out as well. The beams met at the middle, the ghostly images of Videl and the frog switching places.

And just as quickly as it started, the light faded and it was over. Videl blinked, feeling funny.

It was then that she noticed the giant shoes, and legs in them, right infront of her.

Slowly, she looked up to find herself standing high above right infront of her. Startled, she tried to back up and away, but she tripped over her legs and fell backwards. Tumbling a few feet back, Videl finally stopped when a large hand wrapped around her waste.

She struggled, but her body just had too strong a grip on her. Finally at eye level with herself, she stopped fighting it to look into her own blue eyes. "What's going on?"

The voice was low, much lower than it should have been for her body, but Videl was in horror as she answered back. "Oh, nothing much. I was just sick of being a frog. Thank you for the wonderful body. It seems to be much stronger than I thought it would be."

"Give it back! I don't have a clue of what's going on, but I'm not going to let you walk off with my body, ya damn toad!"

"Ah yes, I forgot about introduction, how rude of me. "My name is Captain Ginyu, leader of the proud Ginyu Force. And now, you are the damn toad, not me little lady."

"What did you even do? How do I get my body back! You better tell me or I'll...I'll..."

"You'll do what? Trust me, those frog feet are not suitable for fighting, I've tried."

"Just give me my body back!"

"There is but one way to get your body back. Only true loves first k-"

Flailing, Videl the frog did her best to try and wriggle free. "Don't give me that fairy tail crap, you did something! Now undo it!"

"What's that? Can't hear you..."

Undoing the collar on Videl, Ginyu quickly took the translator off and crushed it in his palm. Footsteps made themselves known from the building, so even faster Ginyu flung Videl in one direction and the crushed translator under a nearby bush.

Gohan rushed out of Capsule Corp, finding "Videl" standing right infront of the doors. "Sorry for taking so long, it's pretty crazy in there. But it's good to see everyone get together and act funny like that. I know its strange to say, but it makes me happy to see everyone like that. Ya know?"

"Oh...I know exactly what you mean. You could even say...I'm so hoppy I could burst! Huhaha-buhahaha-buhahahahahaha!"

Blinking, Gohan looked over Videl. She was...acting strange. Since when did she laugh so...evily? Or low for that matter? "Uh, you okay? You're not catching a cold, are ya?"

"Huh? Oh, uh ya." Coughing, the tone of Videl's voice reached up higher more towards what a girl would sound like, though it still sounded like a guy trying to sound like a girl. "Well, I'll be leaving now."

"...right. See you at school on Monday."

Turning, Videl took off towards the sky. Gohan watched her off for a while longer, finally shrugging as he turned back to Capsule Corp. "That was weird..."

Suddenly, a frog head butted right into Gohan's leg. Looking down, he smiled as he brought the green animal to eye level. "Hey Ginyu. What's up? You hungry or something?"

The small frog started to wave its arms up and down, its eyes bugging out is it continued to ribbit at Gohan. The teen tilted his head, curious at the frogs strange behavior. "Well somethings got you agitated. What is it? Fly in your soup?"

Gohan chuckled at his little joke, but the frog was not as amused at his sense of humor as he was. The frog glared at the spiky haired teen, causing him to feel strangely nervous. After a few moments of silence, Gohan set the frog down. "Well, if you wanna come in you better hurry. I think everyone's gonna be going to bed soon."

"Ribbit..."

Gohan pushed the door open and watched as the frog hopped in, closing the door behind it. He started to walk down the hall back towards the room where everyone would be staying, stopping half way. Looking backwards, he found the Namekian frog still following behind him...its eyes still consumed in an evil glare. Looking back forward, Gohan shook his head. Something about that glare...was it familiar? Just evil looking? There definitely was something about it that put him on edge.

-DBZ-

Ginyu, in Videl's body, twisted through the night sky as he laughed out to the forest bellow. "Haha! This feels great! I've forgotten how good it feels to fly around! Oh, feel that wind blowing past my face! And looky here, thumbs! I could have used you a while ago, but still it feels good to have them now. And...wait, what are these things?"

Stopping suddenly mid air, Ginyu brought his hands up to inspect his new bodies strange features. "I say, what are these things here? I mean, that Bulma lady had them too now that I think about it, but I did never get around to figuring their purpose."

Giving them a slight squeeze, Ginyu continued to ponder just what was hanging off his chest. "Hmm, are these pressure pods? Well that's strange, why are they here, and not on the lower back? These earthlings sure are odd."

-DBZ-

Videl couldn't explain it...but something was pissing her off. Of course, anyone in this situation would be upset. But something else was putting her on edge. That Ginyu guy better not be messing with her body. There would be blood if he did anything stupid.

Looking up as she watched Gohan finish building his pillow room, she squinted her eyes. Then again, Gohan could be the cause of all her undo stress. How could he not know it was her? She was talking clear as day right next to him, Dende knows how many times she yelled at him, but he'd only look at her and smile like nothing was wrong.

There was something wrong, right? This wasn't just some crazy self delusion created from too many ground breaking revelations since meeting Gohan, right? In her defense, she did die before and get wished back to life. Any sane person would take some mental damage from an event like that. Sprinkle in countless more life threatening occurrences and you got yourself a madhouse.

But no, she knew her name was Videl, and Gohan kept calling her Ginyu instead. That simple fact caused all the lies she told herself to come crumbling down. The only thing still standing was that this was all just one big bad dream, but that seemed to be becoming less and less possible as Gohan prepared her a froggy bed with a smaller pillow.

"Hey Gohan, you done with your room yet?"

Videl the frog and Gohan turned to face the man peaking in from behind the pillow wall, finding Goku with a tired Goten lagging behind.

"Pretty much. Ginyu seemed to want to sleep in here tonight, so I had to find room to put him."

"Ginyu?"

"You know, the guy who stole your body till you stole it back and then got him to switch with a frog."

Videl's red eyes widened along with Goten's, both looking up to Goku who seemed to finally remember the foe. "Oh ya! I remember that guy. He was that funny looking purple guy."

"Whoa! Some guy stole your body dad?"

"You wanna hear the story before bed squirt?"

"Ya!"

The now energetic Goten bounded off towards his own pillow room, Gohan making his way to his bed of pillows. Videl croaked, quickly following after Goku to hear the story for herself. Dream or not, it couldn't hurt to hear it again. Gohan had mentioned something about this after he had transformed into the giant monkey, now that Videl thought back on it, but that story had been so long that she had all but forgotten.

And now, irritatingly, it was time for a refresher.

-DBZ-

Much later that night, when the lights were turned off and after the bedtime story Videl was hopping her way back to Gohan's room. From the sounds of it, only Ginyu seemed to know how to do this body changing thing. So she'd have to find her old body and somehow get that identity thief to switch back on his own.

Not paying attention, she hopped right into a leg. After rolling back, Videl looked up to find Vegeta looking down, a frown on his face.

"Good, I was looking for a stress ball."

Videl gulped, quickly trying to hop away only to be snatched up in the strong Saiyan's hand. She would have growled if possible for a frog, and glared down the prince. Vegeta blinked, his eyes glancing over the frog.

"Hmm...well well. Something entertaining finally happened."

Turning around Vegeta tossed the frog behind him, walking away with a amused smile. "Watch where you're going frog, or you'll find yourself squished."

Videl plopped on the ground, and rolled over just as Vegeta cussed about how hard it was to find the exit. With a sigh, Videl continued on to Gohan's room. Maybe if she could get close enough, Gohan could notice something like Vegeta did. If not...she could always resort to plan b, which was find a bunch of spelling blocks and get her point across that way.

Rounding the corner into Gohan's pillow room, she grumbled when she found him already soundly asleep. Here she was confused because her body was just stolen, and he was sleeping like a rock. As soon as all this was fixed, he was in sooo much trouble...

-DBZ-

Gohan groaned as his body slowly woke up. It was often that he got to wake up on his own accord, and he had wanted to make full use of this chance, but his body was to use to waking up early. To his dismay, he was awake and just laying there was quickly growing boring. Figuring he might as well get up, he slowly opened up his eyes.

Red.

Red and green to be precise. Righting infront of his face, a mere inch or two away, sat one pissed off Namekian frog. Gohan's heart skipped a beat from the shock of it being so close just as he was waking up, and he literally jumped off his bed of pillows flailing around as he hit the floor with a thud.

Just then, Goten came skidding into the doorway. "Hurry up and wake up Gohan! Breakfast is ready!"

Just as quickly as he had come, the speeding child was off. Groaning much louder now, Gohan picked himself up. Videl the frog intensified her glare, not once breaking eye contact with the spiky haired teen. Nervously Gohan stretched, always keeping the frog in the corner of his eyesight. Seriously, what was up with Ginyu?

As Gohan weaved his way through the pillow fort, Videl silently followed him. She had gotten little sleep, all things considered. Worst of all, when she woke up she really was still a frog. Needless to say her mood wasn't the best this dreary morning.

Suddenly, the pillow tunnels widened revealing a few chairs surrounding a large flat screen TV along with a table full of breakfast style food. The Z-fighters were scattered all over the area, the humans watching some morning TV while the Saiyans ate to their hearts content.

Gohan quickly approached the table of food, a tad bit of drool starting to form from the corner of his mouth. "How'd you guys get this much food?"

Goku looked up only for a second, smiling mischievously as he took a break to swallow and answer. "Goten, Trunks, and me snuck into the kitchen and got some robots to help us."

Videl rolled her eyes, hopping over to where the rest of the normal people were watching TV. Krillin sat comfortably in the recliner, remote in hand as he kept hitting up on the clicker. "Man, one thousand channels and nothing on. How does that work?"

Yamcha chuckled, leaning back as he put his hands behind his head. "Well, there's nothing on only because I'm not playing in a baseball game right now."

"Oh ya, watching you hold yourself back to only one cycle every other game is so entertaining."

The two chuckled, but Videl just glued her eyes to the TV, hoping some mind numbing shows could help take her brain off of the fact that she was a frog and then get a fresh start on fixing it later.

To her annoyance however, there really was nothing on, and Krillin only kept hitting up on the remote.

"Sixty seconds a day and you to can have abs like m-

...join us down at Kwik Tr-

Tell me where I can find the bomb!-

I don't understand. You said you want me to do...what?-

War...war never changes-

This is the last time we ever leave Demetry in charge of the hideout-

I need you John!-

That's right Chuck, Videl Satan, is missing!"

Videl perked up along with both Krillin and Yamcha, all of them actually now paying attention to what the television had to say.

"We're here in the 439 Mountain Area, East District. Disaster has struck the world this morning, and we're here where it might have happened. The daughter of our worlds savior, Videl Satan, never returned home last night. She was last seen with one of her school friends, Gohan, whom you also may remember as Saiyaman! We're currently at his home, in search for this boy, but him and his family seemed to have packed up an moved not to long ago. The police haven't told us much past that, but word is going around that Hercule believes this Gohan is the one who has kidnapped Videl!"

Videl slapped her froggy hand to her face. This did not bode well. Behind her, Gohan could also be heard coughing violently on whatever piece of food he had tried to stuff down his throat from shock.

It was then that a loud yell roared from behind the reporter. He jumped a little, and the camera shook as a angry red faced Hercule stomped up and stole the microphone.

"Videl! If you can hear me, don't worry! Daddy's coming! As for that scrawny, pasty, no good boy..."

At this point, Hercule started to twist and mold the microphone in to a ball, giving the listeners the wonderful sound of metal on metal mixed with a high pitch squealing. The sensitive ears of the Saiyans all took a direct hit, and they had to stop eating to cover their ears, even Videl and the humans around had to shield their ears from the horrible noise.

"...I'm gonna kill him for kidnapping you! I'm coming Sweet Pea!"

The group sat silently as they watched the news reporter pick himself up and find a new microphone while Mr Satan stormed off. The short reporter dusted himself off, and then looked back into the camera.

"Well, there you have it folks. Gohan and his family seem to have kidnapped Videl Satan, and are likely hiding out with the other fighters seen with them at the World Martial Arts Tournament. No ransom has been given to the police yet, but its only a matter of time till the ex Champion Hercule Satan finds them and saves his daughter along with reclaiming his title!"

Videl's mouth dropped. Were people really going to believe this! Just how worse could this day get?

Krillin and Yamcha turned around in their chairs to look back at the supposed kidnapper, who currently had frozen in place with his mouth still stuffed full of food. They couldn't help but sweat-drop a little, but Gohan gulped the food down and directed all of his attention at the TV. He was obviously worried, and as such his face showed it. Not that he was being accused of kidnapping of course, but rather that Videl was missing.

She was probably the second strongest being on earth, let alone the universe. The only person who could have infact kidnapped her, would be him...

...but he didn't do it. So...where was she?

Closing his eyes, he tried to feel out for Videl's energy. It was huge, so finding it wouldn't be the problem. In a few seconds, he had found what he was looking for. But...it was off, wrong. Close, and yet far. There, but different.

His eyes shot open and he turned for the doorway. "I'm gonna go check this out."

They all watched as Gohan left Forlorn Hope, the sound of the door closing behind him and then the TV continuing to talk about some other nonsense.

Yamcha turned to Goku, looking to see if he should ready up. "Are we gonna go look too?"

"Nah, Gohan's the strongest of us now. He can handle whatever it is himself. Now, lets ask those robots to get us more food!"

And with that, Krillin and Yamcha went back to watching the news and the Saiyans returned to eating, all the while no one noticed that one frog had suddenly gone missing from the room.

**Author's Annotations:**

Hey, I got a lot to pass on to everyone today, so lets just get right up into it. First off, a few words. Halo 4. Assassins Creed: Revelations. The ElderScrolls: Skyrim. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.

E3, while not as big and awesome as its been some years, was pretty impressive for me. Not that I got to go, just watching it online and on tv. What I'm most excited for is Skyrim, can not wait for 11-11-11. The next is Sly Cooper. Loved that trilogy to death, and I've been praying for the next one for so long now. Revelations looks interesting, but at this point I just wanna know what the hell is going on. Halo 4 also looks interesting, but I'll probably wait to see some reviews before I think about buying it.

Next, ya, a new chapter! I've been moving recently, so my writing time has been severely cut into. Add into that writers block of epic proportions and well, you got a long break in between chapters. Anyway, I all hope you enjoy the chapter. I've recently gone back and reread some of Talent and Potential, and along with finding quite a few spelling errors, I've tried to notice spots where I wasn't satisfied with my writing in general.

I'll probably eventually go back and rewrite all those chapters to make it better, but for now I'm simply focusing on this story. I wanted to look back and see my mistakes, and try to improve not only my style but the story's pace and plot development. I seriously want to get better, and I hope it shows in my writing!

Finally, I'd like to say thanks for all the reviews so far and for the ones to come. Means a lot, and cant wait to see your reactions to the upcoming chapters!


	8. From Bad to Worse

Like a thief in the night I'm back to steal away all you're precious free time. But first I have to ask...who bloody put all the link buttons up here? Do they like making my titles move off to the side and look stupid?

* * *

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 8 – From Bad to Worse

It didn't take long after the news announcement for Gohan to get into the air and start looking for Videl. After their powers had been awakened by the old Kai Takula, Gohan and Videl had become the two strongest fighters the earth had. So there was no way Videl could actually be kidnapped by someone, let alone kidnapped without anyone else noticing.

But the strangest part yet was that he couldn't quite pinpoint her energy. There was a tiny little bit of it near him, but then there was also a larger amount of energy off to the North of West City. But that energy felt strange, wrong. It was close to Videl's...but felt more...more...alien. Without any leads, and Hercule leading the press on a wild goose chase, Gohan's best bet was following that strange energy.

Unknown to Gohan however, a small frog was latched onto his shoe and it was holding on for dear life as he flew.

Videl had seen better days. There was no getting around that fact. These last twelve or so hours had been both ridiculous, scary, and downright beyond comprehension, and she just wanted it to end. And to add insult to injury, Gohan was so dead set on hurrying to find her he wasn't even noticing her as she dangled for her life as he flew at breakneck speeds over the planet.

Life sure had been simpler before she met this guy, but then again this way you sure couldn't call their relationship dull. And he was her last best chance at getting back to normal. So with her hope placed in her bumbling idiot, she held on with everything she had as he flew towards her body.

-DBZ-

Ginyu was at a loss. To be honest, he hadn't thought things through much farther than getting a body with thumbs. Actually he hadn't even thought that he'd make it this far. But here he was, thumbs and all, in the middle of the woods trying to figure out how to suppress his energy level so this girl's friends wouldn't be able to find him.

In all likelihood they new she was missing. Probably already knew it was him who had switched with her body too. Not good. Not good at all. If he had been thinking he would have stole a space ship in the night. If he had done that he would have been long gone by now.

But no. He hadn't planned that far ahead, and now he was stuck on this mud-ball of a planet still, now with pissed off super beings on his tail, all of whom could beat Frieza with their little finger.

Another thing he had done wrong was switching with the first human that left themselves open. Now he was stuck with a human girl body which he could basically only get to fly. He should have waited for a saiyan like Vegeta to leave himself open. That Gohan boy would have been a perfect candidate too. But it was to late to worry about that.

It was to late to worry about any of that. Without a scouter he wouldn't know when they would come after him, and without the ability to lower his energy level they would be able to find him in a heartbeat. What he needed was a plan. A clever one. One that involved him getting the hell of this planet.

"Hey, wait right there!"

Ginyu nearly jumped a foot of the ground when the all to familiar voice from the night before reached his ears. Ever so slowly he turned around just as the spiky haired teen landed.

Just as Gohan came to a stop, Videl was overcome with inertia and took off like a rocket. Skipping off the ground, all she could do was ball herself up as she was reduced to a mere pinball as the tree's played catch with her.

Gohan ran up to the body of Videl, unaware as the mind of Videl was sent flying through the woods. "Hey! Are you okay Videl? You're dad's on the TV looking for you. Didn't you go home last night?"

"O-oh...m-my dad? On TV? H-hehe, he's so silly sometimes..."

Ginyu was in a panic. They had found him so fast! Now he definitely was screwed. They'd make him switch back to the frog and then squish him for sure...wait...Videl was the name of the girl right? They...he...Gohan didn't know he had switched with the girl yet?

Gohan worriedly looked over Videl's body. She looked fine. A little more unkempt than normal. Had she spent the night in the woods or something? And why was her voice sounding so fake? On top of that, she looked like she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Just what was she up too?

"You sure are acting strange Videl...are you sure you're okay?"

"M-m-me? O-oh ya. I'm fine, j-just...admiring the scenery...?"

Gohan cocked an eyebrow, obviously still confused. Ginyu thanked his lucky stars that this kid was his father's son. Anyone else and his goose would have been cooked. "S-Say. Wanna go back to C-Capsule Corp? I feel like looking at a few space ships..."

"Space ships Videl?"

"D-Did I say space ships? I meant...s...s...sport shorts..."

"Oh, well I do think Bulma was working on a few prototypes that you probably could try out. Wanna go now?"

Ginyu sighed a huge sigh of relief. "Ya...ya. Let's go now."

"And you're sure you're okay Videl?"

"Yup. Fit as a fiddle I say."

"Fit as a fiddle?"

"Erm...right as rain?"

Gohan turned to face Videl...Ginyu, the body formerly owned by Videl – a stern look on his face. "Videl, we both know we've gone through a lot. Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's bugging you?"

"Really, I-I'm fine. Let's go to Capsule Corp already." Ginyu turned to leave, but Gohan was quick to grab her by the shoulders and rather forcibly pull Ginyu infront of him.

"Videl, please. I...If there's anything wrong please tell me. I know I kept a lot of secrets when we first met...but, well...if there's something bugging you I'll do whatever I can to fix it. Really..."

Ginyu was confused, and more or less was ready to break down and just admit it. Was this boy simply messing with him. Surely he can't be this naive...right? All he knew was that he wanted to get back to Capsule Corp as quickly as possible. What he didn't know however was why all of a sudden Gohan's face was turning red and he was glancing around almost as nervously as he was.

Putting on his best impression of a girls voice, Ginyu tried to struggle free from Gohan's grasp. "Really Gohan. L-let's just get back to Capsule Corp and the-"

It was then that a very red faced Gohan, worried about the girl he had feelings for, planted his best kiss on her lips. And it was about this time that the real Videl, still in frog form and feeling worse for ware after being treated like a pinball, hopped around the tree to find Gohan...her bumbling idiot Gohan...HER Gohan...k...k...kissing...herself.

Her froggy mouth dropped to the ground, to startled to even comprehend what in the world she was seeing.

Ginyu was taken back, but mainly because he felt he had been caught in some strange earth mating ritual. Talk about awkward. Still, this presented him with one hell of an opportunity...

A small golden light shot between the lips of the two kissing teenage bodies. And before either Gohan or the real Videl had even noticed a change...it was way way to late to do anything about it.

As soon as the two broke away from one another, the body of Gohan took off to the sky, laughing maniacly the whole way. Gohan...now in Videl's body, blinked. And then he blinked again.

And for good measure he blinked one last time, followed by pinching his cheak.

"Oww..."

Gohan looked up as his body slowly became simply a speck in the distance. Ya...he definitly wasn't dreaming. That was his body flying away just now. Bring his hand up, he went to scratch the back of his head when suddenly his nails dug into his scalp.

"Ouch!" Now he new he wasn't dreaming. Bringing his hand forward, he found...really girly fingernails where his normal hands should have been. In-fact...his clothing seemed eerily familiar. Looking to his side, he found a pond of water, and almost reluctantly he walked over to it.

Slowly he looked over the smooth body of water...finding Videl looking back up at him. His hand slowly went up and touched his cheek...finding it soft just like how he remembered Videl's cheek being.

His hair was short and not spiked up...just like how he remembered Videl's to be. His eyes were big and blue...just...just like how Videl's had been.

"...aaaaaAAAA**AAAHHHHHH!**"

Flailing back from the pond, he tried to crawl away in horror. Breathing faster than anyone should be able to, his eyes were pealed wide as realization dawned on him. He was...he was...

A chick!

His eyes instantly shot down, finding his long white shirt slightly riding up from where her biker shorts ended due to his reaction from seeing himself in the pond. In a flash he shot to his knees, pushing his shirt down like a girl would, his face turning all kinds of read.

It was then that Gohan eyed a frog. Strangely enough, it's mouth was gaping open, like it had just learned the ending of some confusing movie. Stranger yet...it looked like it was from Namek.

"Gin..yu?" The gears in Gohan's head started to turn. If he was Videl, that meant Ginyu was Gohan. And if Ginyu was Gohan, that meant Ginyu had been V...Videl...

"Oh Kami...I think I'm going to be sick..."

With one hand on his stomach and the other on his mouth, Gohan looked back up at the frog he now knew as Videl...who's mouth was still wide wide open.

-DBZ-

Sharpner berried his face into his hand, not sure if he should laugh or...well, laugh hard. He had been dumb struck when he had seen the news in the morning. Videl Satan kidnapped? Now that was funny, but was only facepalm material when he saw everyone believing such a ridiculous story.

He had simply figured Gohan and Videl had spent some alone time somewhere and Hercule was angry about it...but now...it seemed like this was much larger than he could have been fairly expected to imagine. Looking up at the two infront of him, he stifled his laugh for later.

"So...start from the beginning...what happened?"

Infront of Sharpner sat one Namekian frog currently housing the mind of Videl, who's mouth was still gaping open mind you, and Videl's body who was holding onto Gohan's mind. How this had happened however was beyond him, yet for some reason he wasn't surprised as he thought he should be.

"There was this frog that we brought from Namek...who we thought was harmless. And he had been harmless for the past few years. But well...the frog has the mind and abilities of this alien who accidentally switched with it...and now somehow..."

"...somehow this alien switched with Videl and then again with you."

"Right..."

"Phffffaaahahahahahah! That's hilarious man! Ahahahahaaahaha!"

"This is serious Sharpner! Just look at Videl right now..."

They both looked down at the poor frog, still in it's state of shock. Apparently seeing Gohan kiss herself had been the last straw causing her mind finally hit a solid wall and go blank.

"Why is she like that anyway."

Gohan's face turned green, and he looked away. "I'm...not sure. P-probably because she's a frog..er something..."

Sharpner eyed Gohan up. Even in Videl's body, he couldn't look like he was telling the truth to save his life when he was lying. Still easy as ever to read...but whatever had happened wasn't important. It was time for the Sharpner to save the day as covertly as possible.

"Well, you sure have you're work cut out for you. Do you even know where this Ginyu guy is?"

Nodding her head, Gohan looked back to Sharpner. "Ya, I can sense my body now. The hard part will be getting him to switch bodies with me."

It was then that a specific name came over the TV that made Gohan and Sharpner freeze.

-DBZ-

Krillin and Yamcha currently were sitting infront of the large TV, a cold beer in their hand for both of them as they watched the news unfold. These reporters really were clueless, though it probably wasn't their own fault. It was simply humorous to watch Hercule lead and the rest of them follow after like a mother duck leading her chicks.

The reporter held his hand to his earpiece, trying to look as official and in the know as possible, which just made it more funny for the both of them. "This just in! Saiyaman has been found! Gohan Son aka Saiyaman has been found in Central City!"

They both sat up a little, getting ready for something good.

"We take you live to Central City, where Saiyaman has just saved a crowd from a collapsing freeway! He's even stopped to do his new signature poses...which seem to have a few new ones thrown in this time..."

Both Krillin and Yamcha laughed when the camera showed Saiyaman dancing around. Quickly a new reporter on scene ran up to the posing Saiyaman and forced a mic into his face. "Tell me Saiyaman! Do you have anything to say to Hercule Satan, who is accusing you of kidnapping his daughter Videl?"

In a voice that wasn't Gohan's, Saiyaman answered. "Kidnapped? Look, all I'm trying to do is get to Capsule Corp. I saw a sign a ways back saying CC this way...but I can't find Capsule Corp anywhere. The only reason I helped these people was because they said they'd help me..."

Krillin instantly spat out all the drink he had in his mouth, the spray flying everywhere. Yamcha blinked, looking over at his friend. "You okay dude?"

"G-Ginyu...that's Ginyu's voice!"

"Ginyu...wait...you mean that isn't..."

-DBZ-

"Gohan...dude...you're totally not going to be able to hide this from the others now."

Gohan buried his face into his hands, feeling much more like crying than anything else. "I'm busted..."

And all the while...Videl's mouth was still wide wide open.


	9. A VS for the AGES

A battle of the ages, worthy of song is about to be told by yours truly. Be prepared for epicness. Those who get queasy when they see Saiyaman should probably look away at this time...but then, I'd be surprised of those who cant stand a silly Saiyaman Gohan would have kept reading all the way to this point in time...

* * *

**~Dance Dance Dragon Saga~**

Chapter 9 – A VS for the AGES

Ginyu was flying happily along his way through the sky. He had done it! He not only had thumbs now, but he was in a Saiyan's body! Now he just had to get used to it, and he could handle anyone who came after him. And then he could get a spaceship off this rock.

Heck, with this kind of power he could become the next ruler of the universe!

It was then that a sign with big letters "CC" on them. Now, Ginyu couldn't read human, but he had seen the Capsule Corp logo enough times to know it was related to the building. And while the sign said Central City, he took the CC to mean Capsule Corp.

Thanking the heavens for his supposed luck, he took off down the road.

It wasn't long till he arrived at Central City. It was large, just like Ginyu remembered West City. With a smile, he took off towards the sky above the city, hoping to find the familiar domes soon. To his dismay however, the domes weren't easy to find. And after a sizable amount of time, he was quickly growing irritated.

"I mean really, how hard is it to find such a large place?" Growling Ginyu lowered himself a little, his head swiveling as he looked from left to right. Still, still no luck.

It was then, however, that a light hit his eyes. Squinting, he tried to find the source of the reflection that was currently trying to make him even more irate. The culprit was found ironically on his wrist.

"Hmm...what is this? ...a wrist scouter? Why how convenient! With this I should be able to track down the high power levels currently located at Capsule Corp! This is perfect! Now...how do I get it off the time function?"

Bringing up his free hand, Ginyu pressed the button on the watch. Whirling was heard, and lines of color appeared all over his body. And in the blink of an eye, Saiyaman's outfit covered Ginyu...helmet and all. The identity thief noticed a difference, what with a visor suddenly limiting his vision, but as startled as he was, the curiosity in him was stronger.

Lowering himself down till he could see his reflection in the window of a skyscraper, he was needless to say surprised at what he saw. Of course, the people inside were more startled than Ginyu.

Still, the alien inside Gohan's body was startled. He turned around halfway to get a good look at what he was now dressed in. After a few moments he faced the mirror again, looking over his new outfit. And then he struck a pose, his body forming the letter T, his hands outstretched with his back slightly bent forward.

A smile crossed over his face then, a most evil smile. "Why...this is with no doubt the best looking article of clothing I have ever seen!"

-DBZ-

Gohan...a rather traumatized Gohan inside Videl's body, sat in Sharpner's room as the blond watched a small TV with a calculating eye. Besides him was a frog, currently housing an equally traumatized Videl.

The only one who wasn't in a pickle was Sharpner himself. The blond was rather freaked out that his friend for who knows how long was currently a frog. But stranger things...well, maybe not stranger, but strange things had been happening since Gohan arrived on the scene. And even he had to admit it was better than the dull happenings before the saiyans arrival.

Videl had finally closed her mouth, ironically when a fly had tried to fly in. After spitting the thing out, and being horrified at the fact that it actually hadn't tasted that bad, she found the unthinkable before her.

Herself.

Gohan had hijacked her body. HER body. He didn't save her, but made things worse. Perfect. Oh, he'll be getting an earful later...

Gohan knew he was in trouble. Deep deep trouble. That's why he came to Sharpner. He didn't need everyone knowing Ginyu had caught him with the proverbial pants down. Let alone know that he had k...k...oh kami...

"You sure you're okay Vi...Gohan? You're really looking green..."

"I-I'm fine...really." Gohan glanced away again, not looking any better than the frog beside him. Glaring daggers, said frog started to debate which way would be the best way to get her revenge. Silent treatment? Nah, to girly. A fight? Perhaps...but he might enjoy that. She could always burn his Saiyaman outfit. Infact...that sounded like a perfect way to punish him...

"Well, you're best bet would be to just confront this Ginyu and see if you can get him to switch somehow..."

Gohan gave a slow nod, looking down at his feet as he took to them. He couldn't really control this body, but his best bet seemed to be beating himself to a pulp forcing Ginyu to switch back to Videl's body.

"Wait, you can't go fight Saiyaman like that!"

Gohan was caught off guard, looking up to Sharpner as he too got up from his seat. "How come Sharpner?"

"You want to protect you're identity as Saiyaman, right? How would it look if Videl, the girl Saiyaman supposedly kidnapped, started fighting him in the streets?"

"...I didn't think of that."

"Of course not. That's why you came to me." said the rather smug Sharpner. Gohan had to admit though...he had a point.

"So what should I do?"

A smirk covered the blonds face, and he cocked an eyebrow as he played up for the dramatic reveal of his supposed great idea.

-DBZ-

Oh no.

Videl would even go as far as to say...oh hell no.

But here they were, infront of Erasa's house. Why? Well, Gohan needed an outfit to hide the fact that he was Videl. He also needed to keep it all on the down low. And so, the best bet was to get Erasa's Saiyagirl outfit, the one she had wore when she had protected Satan City while Gohan and Videl had been training.

Needless to say Videl was against the idea.

Despite the fact that she was no longer in control of her body, it was still HER body. Like hell she was going to let Gohan and Erasa dress it up with all that...pink.

But as a frog, Videl could do little but watch. Once this was all undone however...blood would be spilled and outfits would be burned in blistering hot flames that of which not even Dante saw when he visited the Inferno.

Sharpner had elected to stay home and simply watch the news, or at least that was what he had said. So there was Gohan, alone with one pissed off frog, ringing Erasa's doorbell. And much to his reluctance, she was very quick to answer.

"Hello? Oh! Hey Videl! How come you didn't call to tell me you were coming over?...OMG! Videl! You're here? But the TV said you were, like, kidnapped or something!"

Clearing his throat, Gohan did his best girl voice.

It wasn't pretty.

"W-Well...let's just say the stories of my disappearance were greatly exaggerated."

"...huh?"

With a sigh, Gohan took another crack at getting Erasa to follow. "Look, please don't ask why...but I need to borrow you're Saiyagirl outfit."

"You're not going to burn it like you said you wanted to...right? I worked really hard on it!"

"Really, I promise I'll take good care of it. I...just need to use it because of Saiyaman."

Erasa's eyes started to sparkle, which scared both Videl and Gohan. This...was not a good sign. That they both could tell. "So you and Gohan are going to fight together in match outfits like I always wanted you to do! Why didn't you say so! Come on, I'll pull it out so you can change quick!"

Erasa was a woman on a mission. With speed that startled Gohan and Videl, the blond shot around and disappeared inside her house. Gohan nervously followed, frog in hand, as he glanced around the house.

There was something...scary about it. To...fluffy, for either fighter to be comfortable in. But before they could finish looking around, Erasa appeared infront of them with a box. "It's all in here! You can use the bathroom to change."

Gohan took the box, setting Videl the frog down upon the fluffy carpet. "And where's you're bathroom?"

"Down the hall and to the right...you know that Videl. Say...are you feeling okay? Your voice sounds...off."

"I'm fine! Just gonna go change now. Bye!" Quickly Gohan made a quick escape. Honestly...that blond was pretty smart for what she let on. Following the directions given, Gohan quickly shut the door behind him as he entered the very pink bathroom.

He sighed, wondering why all these things always happened to him. As he took of his shirt, Gohan couldn't help but feel upset at how things had turned out. He was going to be having nightmares for weeks because of this. Weeks.

As he threw the shirt down in a small pout, he glanced at the mirror. Really, his life was just one big mess...

...why was Videl half naked in here with him?

"Waaah!"

Startled at his near naked reflection, Gohan slammed back into the wall behind him. As he slid to the ground, he brought his hand up to hold his pounding head.

"Oh ya...I'm Videl..."

"Are you okay in there Videl?"

Erasa? Just what Gohan needed..."No, I'm fine. Just...had to...use the bathroom?"

Videl sat outside the bathroom door, waiting with dread for herself to come out dressed in that god awful super suit. But there was something else...something in the back of her mind screaming for her attention...what was she forgetting? It was something important...

Whatever it was, it would have to wait. A blushing Gohan had just opened the door, dressed as Saiyagirl.

"You look amazing Videl! It fits you perfectly."

The real Videl could only roll her eyes. In a million years she wouldn't like that thing. But why was Gohan blushing so badly! It only made that nagging voice in the back of her head louder...just what was she not figuring out?

-DBZ-

Krillin and Yamcha were on the edge of their seats as they watched the news. It was absolutely positively supercalafragalisticly hilarious. The cops had surrounded Saiyaman, and were currently trying to take him into custody to question him about the disappearance of Videl. But what they both knew was that Saiyaman currently wasn't Gohan...but Ginyu!

They didn't know how. Nor did they really care. All they knew or needed to know was that this was only going to get better. And so while everyone else was busy putting the finishing touches on the pillow fort, these two sat and watched TV. Sure, they'd let everyone else know there was trouble if Ginyu figured out how to go Super Saiyan...but until there was any real danger...they'd just sit back and enjoy the show.

Speaking of which, Saiyagirl just appeared near the cops! Ohhh...this was going to be good.

-DBZ-

Gohan sat Videl down just as he landed. "D...don't worry. I'll take care of this. Everything will be back to normal soon. I promise."

Videl gave an evil croak back as a response. Gohan gulped, silently praying for mercy. Upon his arrival, the area grew quiet and all attention was diverted to him. Gulping again, he pointed his finger towards Saiyaman.

"S-Saiyaman! Da...um...fight me!"

Videl slapped her face. This was a very...very bad start.

"Fight you? Why? I just want to get to Capsule Corp!"

"You'll h-have to go through me first!"

"Who are you even?"

"Who...me? Um...um...I, I am the defender of justice! The guardian of Satan City and the towns beyond! Partner of Saiyaman, hero of...good! I am...Saiyagirl!"

And with that, Gohan struck his Saiyaman pose, making a V with his hands infront of his head. The crowd of reporters and cops blinked, not sure what to make of it. Were...these to partners in crime?

On reporter just had to ask. "Saiyaman. Did Saiyagirl help you kidnap Videl Satan?"

Ginyu however wasn't even listening. He had thought he had seen the epitome of style when he found this outfit. He had thought nothing could be as amazing as this suit, let alone beyond it. But whoever this person was...whatever she was wearing...

...it was perfect!

"Ya, sure, whatever." Stepping past the reporter, and then past the cops, Ginyu stopped when he was merely ten paces away from this Saiyagirl. The next then anyone knew, he was posing as a T.

Just as quickly, he shifted his weight to one of his feet, propping the other up at an angle. With his hands splayed out in the same direction, he formed a K. And to finish this pose off, he twisted around and then bent over at the waist. The red cape flipped over as Ginyu peered through his splayed legs, his hands on his hips.

Silence filled the air, a very uneasy silence. Just...what the hell was this guy doing. The only one without a clueless face however was none other than Saiyagirl. She...or should I say he...Gohan, was glaring. Just who did Ginyu think he was, posing like that right infront of him?

This meant war.

Saiyagirl quickly tapped her feet against the ground, suddenly stopping as her hands flung out infront of her, hands wide open. Then just as quickly Saiyagirl jumped up and then landed on one foot, the other slightly bent backwards while her hands reached out to the right. And to finish it off, the female super hero took a fighting pose, her arms pulled back looking as if they were ready to spring forward, her legs separated with a large base.

The town was so quiet, you could almost hear two voices laughing all the way from Capsule Corp. Almost.

Ginyu seemed taken back, startled. "In all my years...I've never met one person with equal artistic vision as myself. Truly you are a foe worth fighting!"

"What are you talking about? You just look silly, my poses are the cool ones."

"Surely you jest! Very well, we shall see who among us is the better artist!"

Videl just started to beat her head against the tire of a nearby car. Did they want her to go insane?

-DBZ-

Sharpner hopped out of his car, glancing over at the gate of the one and only Capsule Corp. Walking over, he pressed the intercom and asked to be let in. After a moments wait, the gates opened and he was allowed in.

Quickly he made his way into the main building. A robot met him, and after asking guided him to the other guys. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he arived at the door to the room he was looking for. After opening it, and being amazed at the shear amount of pillows, he gave a knock on the door behind him.

"Anyone home?"

"State you're name and business!"

"Erm...Sharpner, I'm here to see everyone."

Like ants leaving the woodwork, heads started to pop out of every conceivable place, and even a few not so conceivable places.

"What are you doing here? Looking for Videl?"

Sharpner turned to find Goten the one asking the questions. With a smile, he shook his head. "Nah. Just here to talk with you guys actually. Is anyone watching TV?"

"I think Yamcha and Krillin are." And with a pout, the small saiyan pointed towards the entrance of the fort. "Those two lazy bums are inside."

Sharpner thanked the young boy and continued on his way. After a while, he could hear their laughing and followed the sounds through the maze of a pillow fort. Finally, not before passing the annoyed Bardock and Vegeta, he arrived at the living room where the TV was.

Krillin waved when he noticed the blond enter the room. "Hey! Say, you looking for Gohan and Videl?"

With an evil grin, Sharpner took a seat on an empty couch, keeping his eyes on the TV. "Nah...I actually came here just after helping Gohan find...himself."

Krillin and Yamcha looked at each other, and finally back to Sharpner with equally evil grins. Krillin reached into the small fridge nearby, tossing Sharpner a soda. "Kid...you're all right."

-DBZ-

And with one fluid motion, Saiyagirl landed right infront of Saiyaman, holding a peace sign just infront of her lips. You could literally see the hearts exploding behind her and the rainbows flying everywhere.

Ginyu faltered back. Never...he had never met his equal when it came to choreography. He...never. But this...Saiyagirl...her body, her style, her flair...that outfit! It all was perfect! He...he had to have that body! By all rights, it deserved to be his! His! His and his alone!

Videl...a dark blue aura was surrounding Videl. Those around the frog were clueless as to why, but they could feel the sharp drop in the temperature. Gohan...in her body...that...that...that boy...burning that outfit would be enough now. Oh no...she needed to punish him with something that fit the crime. Her mind whirled, the gears in her head cranking away. Blood and fire wouldn't be enough. Pain. Slow pain...Gohan needed to experience slow unending pain. And she would be the one delivering this punishment. By her hand...he would know fear. Fear for making her body pose like that in that stupid kami forsaken outfit...

Wait...the outfit! That's what was annoying her! In order to get into it...Gohan would have had to...change...in her body...he saw...

Videl's already red frog eyes grew even darker along with blushing red toad cheeks, anger coming from the depths of her soul. Finally unable to control herself, Videl leaped for Saiyagirl. Just as she took off, her frogy legs shooting her right at Gohan with the intent to kill/maim, Ginyu struck one last pose. His hands and legs were stretched out, and his mouth open.

"Change, now!"

-DBZ-

Sharpner, Krillin, and Yamcha were all laughing their backsides off. The best part was over, but it was still funny to watch the reporters try to make sense of everything. Hercule arriving just as Saiyaman and Saiyagirl took off together didn't help things. He simply added fuel to the fire by being there.

And now, at the end of it all, Saiyaman and Saiyagirl along with all the other supposed hero's of the World Tournament and Asteroid Incident, were relabeled as evil kidnapping villeins. Hercule was once again, regarded as the true hero of the world, and none disagreed.

Yamcha smiled, wiping away a tear from his eye. "Oh man, that Hercule sure is a character."

"To his defense, it's the reporters spreading all the lies. He just is trying to figure out where Videl is, and is blaming Gohan for it all."

"The kid's right Yamcha. That Hercule, I swear. He's a goof, but the press just get everything completely wrong!"

It was then that two entered the room, silencing the laughing trio. There stood the culprits of the latest crime...Gohan and Videl.

Gohan's body looked around, pissed as ever. Meanwhile, Videl looked at her feet, clearly shaking. Both of them were still in their outfits, Videl's body holding both their helmets. Krillin, the ever brave one, slowly worked the courage to ask. "So...where's the frog?"

Gohan's eyes flashed, eying Krillin. In a flash, the saiyan had reached into the helm of Saiyaman and pulled out one Namekian frog and threw it at the old fighter. Krillin quickly dodged, the frog hitting the wall behind him. Nervously, Yamcha looked over the poor animal. A slight wheezing could be heard from it instead of the croak a frog normally makes.

"What happened to it...?"

"It _forgot_ how to talk. And if you don't want to _forget_ either...you'll **tell** me where the dragon radar is! **NOW!**"

Clearing his throat, Krillin, peaked over the edge of his seat. "I think it's in Bulma's lab..."

Whipping around, the angry Gohan and the scared Videl left the room. The three watched silently as the two flip flopped people walked out of the room. Once they were gone, they all glanced at one another. As soon as they heard the door shut behind the two, they all began to roar with laughter that of which Dende could clearly hear all the way on the lookout...

* * *

**Author's Annotation:**

And so...the Dance Dance Dragon Saga ends. Truly I'm a little thankful. Now we can get back to the action, which I'm much better at writing. Hmm? You say you want a little spoiler for the Universal Tournament Saga? Well, alright.

You'll be seeing, once and for all, why DBZ characters are better than all the rest.

Get ready, cause it's going to be a real treat. RK promises!


	10. The Invitation

Well, got some sad news for everyone reading. My little bro's in the hospital. Nothing to serious mind you, but it's definitely a bummer. You see, both my parents side's of the family have had a trouble with many of them becoming diabetic, and it seems my brother is now sadly one of those few. So he's going to have to deal with that now. Like I said, nothing to huge but I'd like to ask everyone to keep him in your hearts, minds, prayers, or where ever you have some extra space with how busy your lives are as well. Thanks!

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 10 – The Invitation

To the well informed it may not come as a surprise, but the world is ruled by a dog. Countless years in office, and yet not a spec of selfishness in his actions. That old saying about dogs and loyalty seems to hold true even in politics. But King Furry was getting old, and he was feeling much older than even that. Running the world was no simple task, what with all the different ethnicities in this wide wide world. Keeping them off of each others throats was no simple task, and the strain was catching up to him.

Yet year after year the people begged for him to continue to be their King. Other political parties had long given up trying to take his seat, and rather had resided themselves to try and gain control in other areas. King Furry wasn't worried about the future though. One can only prepare for the unexpected that the future will bring. He learned that well when the Demon King Piccolo stormed his castle. How could he have been ready for such a monster?

Yet, somehow, everything had managed to work itself out. Standing up, the old fox walked to the window and looked down from the top of the Capital. He chuckled to himself as he stroked his white beard, surprised at how young and naive he still was only some twenty years ago now. How foolish he was to think that this position put the fate of the world on his back and his alone.

If it were left to him, this planet would have been long gone now.

A shiver went up his spine when he thought about it, but it's truth continued to ring strongly in his mind. He had been powerless countless times. The strength he wielded through the worlds military had failed numberless times now. Instead of him being the soul left alone to carry the weight of the world, fighters had rose time and time again to do what he couldn't. It began with that boy, Goku his name was, it was that boy that showed him just how powerless he really was.

Glancing to a framed hand drawn picture across the room, he found himself walking towards it. In this room, where rulers whom had shaped this planet to what it had become had paintings made by the master artists of their time, stood a small sketch of a boy with wild spiky hair and the name Goku under it.

Needless to say it stood out, but at the same time it brought a brightness to the otherwise very serious room. Out of all the paintings, not even King Furry was the one to smile. Just like the other rulers, he had held tightly to his serious look in order to come off as a powerful, strong, and respectable King. But then there was this small sketch of a boy smiling from ear to ear.

Looking at it brought a few feelings to King Furry's mind. He hated to say it, but the strongest was jealousy. The simple fact that a child protected the people he was in charge of...it didn't sit well with the old dog. The next feeling however was happiness, oddly enough. He was happy there were selfless people like this boy out there looking out for them all. With people like Goku and that boy from the Cell games, he could retire without worry.

With people like that, things would work out one way or another.

"...retirement? Hah! I'm getting older and older each second it seems."

It was then that a knock came from his office door. Must be the Captain with the mail. "Come in!"

A large man in a yellow vest walked in, holding a single package. With a tip of his hat, he walked over to meet King Furry at his desk. "Good morning King. Just this today sir."

"Thank you Captain. Any idea what it is?"

"Not off hand sir, but it went through security and nothing set off any red lights."

"Still as hard nosed as ever, hmm? I keep telling you Captain, if someone wanted me dead they would have tried long long ago. You need to have more faith in earth's people."

"It's not the people I don't trust, your majesty. It's the mice that try to mask themselves as people I get payed to worry about."

Choosing to ignore the Captain's choice of words, King Furry turned his attention to the box infront of him. Running his claw along the tap on top, he slowly opened the container. With a curious glance, the Captain leaned over to get a better look as the king took whatever was in the box and placed it on his desk.

Both men's eyes widened at what they saw. What it was, they weren't sure...but it sure was fancy.

On the desk sat a square device of some sort. The outline was what looked like a smooth white plastic, but the inside was an orange piece of glass. King Furry blinked, silently stunned that he would receive such an object as casually as through the mail. His hand reached for the item again, this time touching the glass instead.

Instantly it lit up, words flashing across the screen as the machine came to life. With a high pitch beep, black words finished spelling themselves out on the screen.

"UMAT Invitation. Name the shields and swords of [insert name here]. Please wait for connection confirmation."

"UMAT? What's that? Do you know of it King?"

"I can't say I have. But it almost looks like the abbreviation for the World Martial Art's Tournament."

"Now that you say it...it does. But a U instead of a W? Is someone trying to set up another tournament?"

"Say, wasn't that man...oh, what's his name...Mr Money? Wasn't someone with that name trying to set up a yearly Ultimate Martial Art's Tournament or something? Or was it Universal?"

A quiet click came from the device along with the words ready appearing on the screen, both which went unnoticed by the two in the room.

"I...do remember something about that. Wasn't that the time they caught more pictures of the Delivery Boy?"

"I believe so. Though, now they're calling him either Saiyaman or Gohan...**Gohan Son** I believe."

"To think that the Delivery B...er, Saiyaman really was a villein."

"Oh hogwash. You should know better than to believe that nonsense they call Z-TV. Even CMM handles news better than Z-TV, and they do horrible work to begin with. I'm sure those reporters have their camera's so zoomed into **Hercule's** face they can't even see what's going on around them anymore."

"But then what do you think happened to his daughter, **Videl Satan**?"

"It's not my job to speculate on rumors and hearsay. For all we know she was out with a boy, and her father is upset about that now."

"That seems rather unlikely sir."

"Oh-hoh? What makes you say that Captain?"

"Since she joined the Satan City Police force, and since she is such a high value person, the military has been keeping tabs on her, see if we could recruiter her into our forces when she graduates . She's yet to have a boyfriend."

A scowl appeared on King Furry's face, and with a grimace he turned to face the Captain of the Guard fully. "You mean to tell me tax payer zenny has been going towards the military looking into the personal life of a young woman? Why wasn't I made aware of this?"

The captain stiffened, cold sweat gathering on his forehead as he began to realize he just said something he shouldn't have. "W-well. Since the defeat at the hands of Cell, the military has been looking into ways to fight off such a threat. Since the Champ defeated Cell, we decided to run some tests. And, naturally, we wanted to watch his daughter as well...to see if such strength was in the blood. Y-you signed off on the document sir."

"I did, did I?" With a huff, he folded his arms together as a strong glare of a politician hit the Captain. "Well, I would like to see this document. It seems I have some re-reading to do."

"Y-yes sir. Of course. I'll get someone right on it."

"And what of the other fighters at the Cell Games? Why didn't you look into their pasts, rather than keeping an eye on a mere child?"

"Well, we simply didn't know who they were. That young boy killed the Demon King **Piccolo**, yet we saw him both at the World Tournament when Goku won, the Alien Invasion, the Cell Games, and the latest World Tournament. The other fighters show up constantly as well, with a few additions, along with a few enemies switching over to this side."

"Hmm...when signing up for the World Martial Arts Tournament, doesn't one have to give their name and address?"

"That is true my King, but...it's private information. The Tournament regulates can't freely give out that information..."

King Furry's eyes narrowed even more, his white beard and grayish blue fur seemingly standing on end as he asked his next question. "You have it, don't you."

"...y-yes sir. The military does."

"Hmph. It seems I can't rest so easy after all. Why wasn't I told?"

"W-Well, it was decided that there was no need for you to know. T-this way, if you were asked about it you could tell the truth that you really didn't know."

"Show me these documents. I'll get to the bottom of this, one way or another."

Gulping, the Captain reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of papers stapled together at the top-right corner. King Furry quickly grabbed at the bundle of papers, glancing them over as he continued to talk. "You carry such documents with you?"

"W-Well, for a while now I've been looking them over trying to figure out how they do what they do..."

"Ma-junior...Saiyaman...now here's a face I recognize. Prince **Vegeta**? This looks like the man who was identified as one of the aliens twelve or so years ago. And...what's this? A boy named **Trunks Briefs**, and both of them live at Capsule Corp of all places?"

"That is correct. We believe it's simply a joke. There are no follow ups for ones name and location, so people often make up fighter names and joke homes."

"I see the military truly conducts it's investigations to the fullest. Looking into the relationship of a girl, but not even bothering to see if these addressees are correct?"

Once again, the Captain stiffened up, gulping slightly. King Furry returned his eyes to the papers, continuing to flip through them until he came to three rather familiar ones.

"**Goku Son**, Gohan Son, and **Goten Son**? Our hero has two sons? Well...I'll be. The 439 Mountain Area? I've always wanted to thank Goku personally, yet the military could never find where he lived. Let me guess, you never looked into this area either?"

"N...no King. That area is full of dinosaurs, caber tooth tigers, and other wild animals of that sort. It's simply not possible to live out in that area. And...not to mention...Goku's address wasn't the 439 area."

"I see that now that you mention it...Otherworld?"

"People...don't come back from the dead sir."

"Well, look at the kettle calling the pot black, Captain."

Uneasily, the captain brought his arm up to his chest. He didn't exactly like remembering his own dance with death's door.

Continuing to scan through the papers, he came upon a few other faces he seemed to recall. "**Krillin**, 17, 18, **Tien**, Chia...Chaoi...how do you say this name anyway?"

"Beats me, sir."

"Well...that **leaves** **Yamcha** as most of the older fighters I recall seeing before."

Another click came from the small device placed on the table long forgotten by the Captain and the King, now the words switching to "Fighters logged. Confirm – Yes or No?"

The Commander gave a small nod. "That is all the info we have on them at the moment sire."

"**That's it then**, huh?"

And with a final click, the device changed to "Searching to Send".

"Yes sir."

"Well then, next I'd like you to bring me that document I supposedly read an signed giving the military the power to look into peoples backgrounds freely."

"O-Of course. Right away sire."

Before the Captain could move however, a bright light shot from the device that they had both forgotten about. Countless beams shot towards the window and broke through it sending glass hurtling towards the ground bellow. One beam of light, however, stayed in the room and consumed King Furry. The Captain could only watch in horror as the worlds ruler disappeared in the white light, and then for the light to fade with no King Furry standing where he was suppose to be.

"KING FURRY!"

-DBZ-

It was a pretty bland day at Capsule Corp, all things considering. Gohan and Videl had left a while ago to try and find the dragonballs to undo the mess they currently found themselves in. Sharpner, Krillin, and Yamcha had lost interest after seeing what Videl had done to poor Ginyu. Be it through her strength or her glare, she had rendered the frog unable to even ribbit.

The three had resumed the channel surfing they had been doing in the morning, trying to find anything on that was worth watching. The others were hard at work, putting the finishing touches on their Pillow Fort. Forlorn Hope x2 was shaping up to be even better than it's first model. It would need to be in order to survive...lest Month 7 would happen again.

And for those who remember it, it is something that will haunt them for the rest of their days.

And so, needless to say they didn't want it to happen again. Vegeta had snuck...er, marched his way proudly to the gravity room to get some training in to release some of his stress. Bardock was currently watching the Prince do his training through a small window, awed by the Prince's fighting ability. And the woman were currently keeping Bulma entertained with whatever it is women do at baby showers for children not born yet.

All in all, it was a rather boring day. That was, until, beams of light came shooting into the building from the east.

At first, it was mistaken for just what the inheritance of Forlorn Hope feared. Month 7 was happening again! And so they reacted accordingly.

"That's my pillow to hide under Yamcha! Get your own!"

"Come on Krillin, the nearest one is way over there! Just scoot over a little and we'll be able to hide under this one!"

Just then, two of the beams arched down and crashed into both the two trying to hide under one pillow. Sharpner, whom was hiding behind a couch, watched in horror as they were seemingly sucked up into the beam of light. And then like a hook after catching a fish, it began to real back, the bodies of the two men no longer where they were laying.

Another shot down a hallway, towards where Bardock and Vegeta were. The older Saiyan suddenly perked up, noise of distress reaching his ears. His head whipped to the side, instantly taking a fighting stance. When the beam of light rounded the turn and came shooting right at him, he got ready to fight whatever it was.

Just then however, Vegeta left the gravity room. Without thinking, Bardock threw himself infront of his prince. "Look out!"

The action caught Vegeta off guard, and the beam of light hit him anyway. The light enveloped him, and began to suck him in like the others. Unlike the others however, Bardock had been trying to push Vegeta out of the way and so was touching him. The light grew and surrounded Bardock as well, the beam retracting as soon as it had sucked in it's target.

And finally, three beams shot for Goku, Goten, and Trunks. All three had been working on the fort, but got caught up in the excitement and hid all for the same basic reason. It was the plan if they ever were attacked, and well...it kinda sounded like a fun game of hide and seek!

Goku giggled happily, having fun with the two boys. That laughter quickly stopped when the power levels of his friends started to disappear. The one people who were going to attack them were the wives, right? Why were people **dying**!

Goku stood up, startling the two boys. But it was two late. The tree beams rounded the corner to their room in the pillow fort and hit Goku first. Trying to resist it's pull, he grit his teeth as he held his ground.

"W-what the! I...couldn't...even...s-sense...why cant I...move!"

But it was no use, just as quickly as he was hit by the light, so were the two boys. And just like the others, they were sucked away.

-DBZ-

It wasn't easy, what with them being in each others bodies and everything, but the two had managed to gather all the dragonballs rather quickly. Two rule free wishes were theirs. It was rather convenient that the dragon didn't need to take a full year to recharge after only granting one wish.

Gohan glanced at Videl, his glare still as strong as it was when they left CC. There were countless ways to torture her for this. Each was worse than the last, and they all deserved to be used. Videl however, shyly looked over the balls. What with Gohan, Videl...whatever pushing her to find the balls faster, they had found all seven in record time.

Time to fix this and get everything back to normal...maybe he could use that second wish to make it so Gohan couldn't hurt her.

Gohan crossed his arms, his glare intensifying as he looked down on Videl. "So, summon the dragon already so we can get this over with. It will be able to fix this..._right?_"

Videl smiled nervously, scratching the back of her head. "O-of course! The dragon can grand any wish that hasn't been wished already."

"Any wish?"

"Well...any wish that is within the current Kami's power."

"...wait wait wait...so any wish this dragon can grant...so can Dende?"

"Well...I guess. Ya."

"So...why do you guys always bother to find the dragonballs when you could just ask Kami?"

"...I...I...uh..."

Face palming, Gohan just grumbled under his breath. "Just...summon the stupid dragon already."

With a slow nod, Videl turned back to the seven magic stones infront of her. Raising her hands, she began to cry out.

"By you're name I summon you..."

And it was then that two beams of light crashed into the two teens, sucking them in before they could even react.

-DBZ-

Back at Central City, the Captain had fallen to his knees, touching the ground where King Furry had just been. Almost as quickly as the king had been sucked into the small device they had received that morning, the other beams of light returned from where ever it was they had went and entered into the device as well.

Suddenly, and surprisingly, the device suddenly stood on end. Words flashed across the screen, one last time. "Thank you for entering the Universal Martial Arts Championship. Transporting fighters and World Leader now."

And with a blur, the small device disappeared into thin air leaving the Captain all alone.

-DBZ-

"Shenron!...Huh?"

And in comic fashion, the selected Z-fighters appeared in the same fashion they had been taken in. Krillin and Yamcha trying to huddle under a pillow which was no longer there, Goku trying to take the hit for Goten and Trunks, Bardock landed on Vegeta as the two fell over. Tien wondering where in blue blazes he was, sandwich from Launch in hand. But the faces of Gohan and Videl were the most comical of all.

Because infront of them, while King Furry fell to his knees from the shock, stood a mass of aliens packing into a stadium that was easily as big as two football fields each way, the likes of which they had never seen.

And through their cheering, a brain with spikes coming from the sides floating in what looked like a glass ball flew up to them, turning to face the cheering multitude of aliens and spoke loud enough for all of them to hear.

"And we have our newest contestants for...what's your favorite show?"

"Universal! Martial! Arts! TOURNAMENT!"

* * *

**Author Annotations:**

Let me see here. Even though 17 and 18's names were mentioned, the invitation thought they were numbers rather than names. Pretty much everything else will be explained in the next chap or two. This chap was mostly for setting up King Furry. New characters need their own chapters after all! Hopefully it doesn't seem to run on longer than it should. Some fighting coming soon so it should make up for the character building that this chap was! Yay!

Oh ya, before I forget. I'll be referring to Gohan and Videl by their bodies rather than their names. I'll make sure to remind you of the switch every chap or two, but it should be fairly obvious due to the switch in personalities. Why do that you ask? Well, to be frank, I enjoy messing with my reader's heads lol. A better reason would probably be that it would drive home the extent of their body change all the more. I just like how my first reason sounds though.

Anyway...I think that's everything I wanted to say. Thanks for reading!


	11. The Game of Survival

No contestants will be hurt in the making of this show...except for the ones that do.

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 11 – The Game of Survival

"And we have our newest contestants for...what's your favorite show?"

"Universal! Martial! Arts! TOURNAMENT!"

And with a thunderous applause, the selected fighters from earth span their heads around to take in the huge area. Piccolo was so rudely pulled from his meditation, but not quite as rudely as Hercule whom was still dressed in his fancy robe as he suddenly came down to the ground from whatever he had been sitting on before the move.

The old King Furry took to his knees, the shock of being in one place one moment and another the next had caught him off guard. Bardock fell onto of Vegeta as he tried to save his prince, Vegeta quickly shoving the lower class Saiyan off him, the two of them standing up as they looked around. Gohan and Videl just looked around, Videl's hands still raised up high like she was about to summon the Eternal Dragon.

And lastly Goku, Goten, and Trunks slowly lowered their guard as they looked around.

"I don't think we're in our pillow fort anymore Trunks."

"Thanks for the obvious, Goten."

The floating brain...well, what looked like a brain anyway, began to once again speak as the roars from the crowd settled down. Floating in came something that looked very much like a camera, presumably recording what was going on for others to watch.

"But this year as you all know we're holding a special version of our UMAT! That's right, this is our sixth year running so we really wanted to do something special for those at home who've made our show what it is today. So, we thought we'd bring back all five team champions from the past years and pit them together to see who the strongest of them all is!"

Again, the crowd roared. The warriors from earth quietly looked on, finally all standing up together and taking in the large stadium. It really was huge, at least two soccer fields long each way. They found themselves in the middle of it all, the crowd circling around them.

Piccolo grumbled, his eyes darting around as fast as his mind was thinking. "Where the hell are we. Some kind of alien planet?"

"I think you're right." said Videl. "It...oddly looks very similar to something you'd see on earth...but how'd we get here?"

King Furry was the next to speak up, bringing the other Z-fighter's attention to him. "I-It was some kind of device I got in the mail. At least that's what I think did it. It...asked for the swords and the shields of...something."

Piccolo crossed his arms. "Hmm. If they brought us here...that means they know we're from earth. We'll have to be on our best behavior so we don't anger them and start some kind of war. Earth wouldn't be able to handle..."

"Hey Mr Brain guy! You look funny!" exclaimed one innocent Goten. "How do you fly without a body?"

"Goten, no! Get over here before you start an intergalactic war!"

Goku put his hands behind his head, looking just as innocent as his son. "Well, he does look funny Piccolo."

"Not now Goku!"

Vegeta chuckled, folding his arms as he glanced at Piccolo. "Relax Namek. If it comes to that, the Saiyans here will show them that the stories about the super saiyans are true. We'll protect you from the big bad aliens."

Piccolo growled, but was cut off by said floating brain Goten had tried to talk to. "And so, without further a-due, let's bring out those five teams you know...and love!"

Suddenly the stadium went dark, silence filling the area just as quickly. Five doorways camouflaged as rock slid down and then over to open up all around the Z-fighters. Gears turning and machines whirling could be heard as smoke billowed out from bellow the ground. After what seemed to take forever, five platforms took the place of where the holes used to be.

"First we have the fighters from Planet Pocket!" The smoke cleared, and a light cut through the darkness upon the group of fighters mentioned.

"From this Planet, we have Nurse Joyce! Don't let her good looks and nurse outfit fool you, she'd just as deadly as she is helpful! Next we have Sketchy! Boy were his parents on the ball with that name. Oh-hoh, and let's not forget Jenny and John sporting their Team Resistance uniforms! They make bad look good! Next is Caesar Salad, who rolls just as hard as he rocks! To the left of him we have Ann Chovie, a girl that sparkles as much as the clear blue ocean! And last but definitely not least, we have Tom Ato. As the strongest fighter from Planet Pocket, he's the go to guy on this team for a win! You can already see the sparks flying around him even before he fights! Literally!"

The crowd cheered again, but this time it wasn't as loud as it had been before. Gohan closed his eyes, foot slightly tapping. Videl glanced over, finding just what she was worried about. Gohan was about to explode. They had been so close to switching bodies to their rightful owners too. This...wasn't going to be pretty.

"Onto year two's champions, from Planet Ramen!" A second light shot down from the domed ceiling, hitting the second group of fighters.

"First we have Miniti. He's still so fast that you can only see the color of his hair! To the right of him is everyone's favorite Tobias. He's a good boy! Next is the lovable perv, Sage Jorias! And infront of him is Koko, the copy cat! Next up is Hyena, a girl with the eyes to see almost everything! And to her side is Cherry. Don't let her forehead fool you, she's tough as nails! The depressed boy behind her is the one and only Sauce! When he gets going, he can really put the hurt on his enemies! And finally, we have Nagato! Yes, that ninja is waring blaze orange, and he's proud of it!"

The crowd cheered once again, though this time a few boos were mixed in along with the cheering. Krillin blinked, looking over the aliens. "Do you guys see that metal looking thing on all their foreheads? Is that...part of their skin?"

Yamcha squinted his eyes as he looked closer. "Well, they are aliens. Just cause they have two hands, two feet...more or less the same body structure as us humans...doesn't mean they can't have strange things like metal growing out of their foreheads. The only thing that really looks alien so far is that brain announcer guy though."

"...good point."

"Next is the third year's champions, from the Planet Soul." Another light shot down upon the next group, the Z-fighters turning to get a look at them.

"We'll start with Taro, the boy with a healing touch and the quiet attitude. Next is a man called UK. He's just as strong as it is hard to spell his name without having a reference! To his side is Grimm. He may not be the reaper, but he'll kill you just as fast as the real one will! The short one up front is Rockia. Despite her name, she's a real deal ice queen. Look out for her! Ubbu is the next on the list. Don't let his glasses fool you, he's a real sniper! The gorgeous girl to his left is Princess Ori! Her skills are both looking pretty and healing unhealable wounds! The tall silent man is Chuck. He prefers to speak with his fists! And finally we come to the man named One. That's his name, and he's sticking to it!"

Tien took a bite out of his sandwich, looking at the new group of fighters. "You think they're ever going to tell us why we're here?"

"I can't believe I finally get to meet you Goku! You're a hero!" said King Furry, ecstatic that he finally got to meet the boy who saved his hide. "Where have you been all these years?"

Tien sighed, taking another bite from his sandwich. Figured.

The light shown down upon the next group, and the floating brain began to once again naming off the competitors.

"Onto Planet Unkilled! We have the baby Born, Born Ultima. We also have Silver, Sheep the baby, the ladies favorite Hibiri, the boxer Sasage, the swordsman Yam, the explosive personality of Goku, and their leader the no good Tuna!"

"Hey, he has the same name as me!"

Vegeta quickly spoke up. "I call fighting that guy."

And finally, the last group was lit up. "And the winners of last years tournament returns from Planet Mana. First we have Markov, then we have Eel, next would be Amy, to her right is the man named Elfmaid, Ezerara is the woman in plate armor next to him, next would be the nearly naked man Dull, followed by the beauty known as Lacy, and last but not least, the fire master Achu."

Goku quickly waved over to the brain. "Bless you!"

"And there you have it folks! All the past champions of the Universal Martial Arts Championship!"

The crowd roared again once more. It was then, however, that one final beam of light shot down in between the five before it and hit the Z-fighters causing them to shield their eyes. The brain quickly floated over to them, the camera's close behind. "But you, the fans, cried out to us. You would miss the hilarious fighters from weak planets try to represent their home only to fail in the greatest of fashions. You would miss the strong fighters make sport of the weaker ones! You would miss us blowing up the losers planets! Am I right?"

Serious expressions shot across the Z-fighters faces. Losers planets got blown up just because they weren't strong enough? Just what in the world was going on here?

"And after some careful thinking, we came up with an answer! We decided to bring in one planet that barely scrapes by to fit the requirements to take part in this tournament! They only gained interplanetary travel twelve years ago! Can you imagine? This planet is so new to space, they'll be the kings of blunders. The queens of comedy. Do you like the sound of that!"

The crowd once again cheered, many of the Z-fighter's meanwhile trying to stay calm after being insulted in such a way.

"We won't bother getting each of their names, as they'll all likely be dead soon, but before we blow up their planet, why don't we ask what they call their little home of theirs?"

The brain quickly turned around, facing the group. "So, what do you call yourselves?"

"Planet Earth."

Everyone turned to King Furry, surprised to find him sounding so assertive.

"Earth you say? Well, there we have it. Our ships are now orbiting the planet Earth, ready to fire as soon as they loose!"

King Furry's eyes widened, his body almost visibly starting to shake. Slowly, he turned around to face the others as the brain continued to talk and rev up the crowd.

"Goku...I hate to ask you...but it seems our planet ... needs help again. Can you...can you all...protect us?"

Goku blinked, looking down at the short dog. Before he could answer however, the brain suddenly called out, catching everyone's attention.

"Well, let's humor Planet Earth and get a reading on their power levels!"

Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared over the center of the stage. Numbers started to flash across the circular screen, until a total was determined.

Dead silence was heard, even the brain announcer was stuttering. "F...forty seven? All of them...total out at...forty seven...?"

Almost as quickly as the silence came, it left and a roaring laughter replaced it. The entire stadium began to laugh hysterically after seeing such a low power level for so many people.

King Furry looked down, his face full of worry. "So...we're doomed?"

"Relax Mr Dog." said Videl, causing King Furry to look up from his toes. "None of us are powered up right now."

"Powered...up?"

Vegeta smiled, turning to face the king. "You think we're stupid enough to show the extent of our power right off the bat and give up the element of surprise?"

King Furry's eyes lit up. So they stood a chance after all? Goku gave the King a reassuring smile, much like the one the King had of Goku hanging in his office.

Goten pouted, sitting down upon the rocky ground. "I hope these guys are stronger than they feel right now. They seem kinda weak, like Videl was before she met Gohan."

Gohan growled, turning to face Goten. "Hey, I wasn't that weak! I just...never had heard of energy before then...that's all!"

Videl scratched the back of her head, looking around at the other fighters who were also laughing at their expense. "A few of them seem to be kinda strong, maybe almost as strong as Frieza's second form...maybe. I'd be more worried about their strange techniques."

Trunks just smiled, crossing his hands much like his father. "Oh please. All we have to do is go Super Saiyan and we'll whip the floor with all of em."

Gohan stomped the ground, causing it to slightly crack around his foot as he finally began to let out his pent up anger. "Gahh! I was so close to getting back into my body! Why did this have to happen now! Of all times, why now?"

Videl gulped, smiling nervously as she tried to keep her distance. "It's...out of our control. All we have to do is win this and then we can go home."

"Go home? How? We got here because some invitation teleported us half way across the galaxy just so some sadistic aliens could watch us try to kill ourselves! Who knows how long it'll take us to get back! It could take years if they don't give us a ship for free!"

The brain quickly turned around, finding time in a recently begun commercial to talk to the earthlings. "Actually, it took you about three days your time to get here from your planet. To be honest Earth was really out in the boondocks, and it took a while to get you here. It'll take about a day for the broadcast to get to earth though. Honestly, we had to start the show without you since you were so late."

Videl gulped. "W...wait...three days?"

-DBZ-

"When I find that Gohan, I'm gonna kill him for skipping that much school!"

-DBZ-

"...my mom's gonna kill me."

Gohan crossed his hands together, going back to tapping his foot to try and stay calm. "All I wanted was my body back. Was that to much to ask?"

"Aaaand welcome back to the UMAT! Put together by our great overlords the Sithus Family! All hail the Sithus family! Well, are you ready for some fighting? I hope so! Cause the Earthlings will start fighting not only for themselves, but their entire planet after these messages!"

Krillin groaned. "Didn't they just go to a commercial though?"

"Turns out alien TV has just as many commercials as ours." said Yamcha as he chuckled.

Gohan just continued to tap his foot faster. "Just want my own body back. Just want my own body back..."

* * *

**Author's Annotations:**

Hmm, you'd think I'd learn. I had to write a set up chap for the last tournament as well, after thinking I could fit it and some fighting in as well. Anyway, sorry. NEXT chapter will be the one where the fighting starts.

I know what you're thinking. Well, I don't, but I can guess. These aliens sound rather familiar. My response? I have no idea what you're all talking about.

Kidding, I'm sure everyone's picturing these characters in their human forms. I'll throw an alien twist on all of them based on their powers. It'll be similar, but different enough so that it's not a crossover. I sure love to walk that line though. It's fun. Just call me the Cohan of my time. People called him crazy too, and now people study him in college. Just saying, it could happen.

Michael – I'll be the first to admit I can't spell very good. It's sad, cause I'm a full blown native English speaker who grew up in the Midwest, yet there are people all over the world who can spell circles around me. Hell, I'm even in college. I do try though, and many awesome readers often help me. Without them, I doubt I would have made it this far. I definitely will go back and go over all my stories and correct the mistakes. Just as soon as I find the time to not only write a chapter but go back and correct my past blunders. But I promise, I will go back.


	12. Where are the Fighters?

Hey everyone. Enjoy the chapter. You know the drill by now. Happy reading!

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 12 – Where are the Fighters?

"Aaaaaaaannnd we're back! Welcome to the Universal Martial Arts Tournament! We'll be getting right to the action, but first a word from our Universal Overlord, Dark Sithus of the Sithus family! And from their champion...the one you know and love, the one who freed us from Frieza and the Cold family...Dark Achilles!"

Goku could only blink. "Wait...what did that brain thing say?"

A final spotlight shot towards a special area that seemed to jut out from the stadium. The Z-fighters squinted, their enhanced senses able to make out the dots that represented the people in question.

A medium sized man, or what was presumed to be a man, stood before two other beings whom were taller than himself. He had a black cloak that covered his entire body and dragged along the floor as he moved. His entire face was hidden by shadows cast by the large hood over his face.

Behind him to his right was the tallest of the three, whom was also covered head to toe in a black cloak. Despite that, it was easy to tell he was much more muscular when compared to the man infront of him.

Still, the Z-fighters could tell. These two, unlike the others, were dangerous. The larger man had a very high power level. It's true heights couldn't be confirmed, but it was easily in Goku and Vegeta's league.

The third one, however, was not in a black cloak. Infact, one could claim that it was about as far as a black cloak as one could be. It was all kinds of colors. Red, blue, orange, yellow, green, and all of them were bright and in your face. Each were cut into a shape, pasted over each other somehow forming a fighting gi. The alien had five fingers, but the two opposite each other seemed to be like a thumb, able to grab a hold of things. He currently was holding the three fingers out, as if it were his version of a v for victory or peace sign.

His face was a dull purple, and light blue tentacles came from his face in a fashion that could be described as a mustache. No nose to speak of, and normal eyes, but the real draw to this crazy character was a very blue and very large afro upon his head.

All in all...it looked a lot like Hercule.

Vegeta's eye began to unconsciously twitch. "They think...that thing was who beat Frieza?"

Crossing his arms, Goku pouted as he looked at the ground. "I kinda know how Gohan feels now..."

Videl chuckled nervously as she scratched the back of her head. Gohan however looked around, his arms on his side with a stern look on his face. "Where is dad anyway? I thought I saw him with us earlier."

"Uh...big brother? Daddy is right there. Can't you see him?" said one confused Goten. Gohan looked to the smaller saiyan, blinking a few times before he remembered just the pickle he was currently in.

"Oh...right." Sending a glare towards Videl, Gohan started to tap his foot in anger again. "What I meant to say was, where is Videl's dad?"

Tien then pointed his thumb behind him. "As soon as we got here he...well..."

The group curiously leaned over to look behind Tien, finding the old champ in the fettle position.

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real. It...it's all a dream! Ya, that's it. Any moment now I'll wake up, Videl safe in her room, with nooo boys trying to take her from me. Yup! Any moment now..."

Gohan slapped his palm to his face.

All their attention was suddenly drawn to the smaller man in the black cloak, whom was projecting his voice to fill the entire stadium. It sounded old, and cracked as he talked. The words were lathered in venom, and the more serious Z-fighters narrowed their eyes as they tried to sense out this mystery of a man. "Welcome. I hope the fighters give us a good show, as always."

The floating announcer turned to fully face the cloaked man, along with the other fighters. They all held their right hands to their hearts, or where a human heart was at least,their hand balled in a fist as they bowed. The Z-fighters looked around, noting a few of the aliens seemed to do so reluctantly. After the quick bow, the announcer once again spoke to the crowd.

"To those who are about to die...phhhahaha...we solute you!"

The crowd roared with laughter, but the fighters from earth were unfazed. Instead they rather calmly watched as the flying brain floated over towards one of the camera's. "Now...let's get this Tournament under way! As a warm up, we'll pit one team against the team from Earth. After that, we'll decided how the real tournament will be broken up!"

As the crowd cheered, a wheel popped up on all the large screens in the stadium. On the wheel were all the alien team names, and a giant arrow was connected to the middle. The announcer continued to push the crowd on as the arrow began to spin. Around and around and around it went. Finally however, it came to a stop on Team Pocket.

The other teams seemed to have mixed feelings from them not caring to slight disappointment, while those from Team Pocket looked excited. Just as quickly as they came, the other teams were slowly lowered back under the fighting arena, leaving just the Z-fighters and Team Pocket above ground along with the announcer.

"Team Pocket it is! They are currently eight strong, while those from Earth have twelve. How does Pocket want to proceed?"

The presumed leader, the one who looked more like electricity than flesh, smiled as he answered back. "We'll send one fighter over at a time. They can try and fight with as many as they want. Let's just get this over with so the real fun can start."

"There you have it folks! The rules are in place, killing is allowed! There is no surrender! The fights will continue till one fighter can not fight back! Team Pocket, pick your first fighter!"

Vegeta chuckled, crossing his arms infront of his chest. "Hmph. Killing these cretins wouldn't even be worth the effort."

King Furry slunk to Goku's side. "Now...y-you're sure you'll be able to win these fights, easily...right?"

Blinking, the Saiyan looked down to the short dog, smiling after nodding his head. "Ya, they're actually pretty weak."

Bardock glanced away from his son as Goku tried to made the King feel better, looking back at the two in black cloaks, said to be from some Sithus house. Those two...they gave of a true sense of danger. But something else was nagging Bardock. This stadium. It all...seemed...so familiar. He was sure he had never been here before. So...why did it feel like he had been here before?

One of the fighters from Pocket stepped away from the rest of the group. He had human features, but his body was far from bone and blood. Instead he looked more like a group of rocks stacked on top of each other in the form of a human. Smashing his two rocky hands together, he smirked.

"Well, let's get this over with."

The floating brain quickly floated in between the two groups of fighters, it's voice continuing to boom throughout the stadium. "And so Caesar Salad is the first, and quite frankly possibly the last to fight the team from Earth! Who will challenge him? Will they send everyone just so they have a chance?"

"Enough of this nonsense. Trunks!" Vegeta turned to look at his son, holding his hand outstretched palm up as if asking for something. "Jump!"

The small boy blinked, confused at first. Quickly however he shook those feelings off and did as his father demanded of him. But why did Vegeta want him to jump?

Just as Trunks got about head level with Vegeta, the Saiyan caught his son with said outstretched hand. Before Trunks could comprehend what was about to happen, his father took a large step forward and planted his foot. Trunks shot like a cannon from his father's hand, his body straight as an arrow as it flew. Before Caesar, or anyone else knew, Trunks had crashed into the rocky being.

Caesar flew past his team, crashing into the wall far beyond them, his eyes plastered open. Everyone's eyes were wide, even King Furry was in a state of shock. Trunks slowly picked himself off the ground, sporting a large bump on his head has he wobbled around trying to regain his sense of balance.

The electrical alien from before, stuttered as he looked over his friend from so far away. "The...they hit Caesar so hard...he actually opened his eyes..."

Goten laughed as he watched his friend try to walk back to the group. The swirls in Trunk's eyes weren't helping, and soon the poor boy had to sit down before he hurt himself. Vegeta returned to his normal standing position, huffing one last time just to make sure everyone knew just how pointless he thought this whole thing was.

The entire stadium was quiet, even the floating brain announcer didn't know what to say.

Sighing, Goku pouted as he kicked at the ground. "I was hoping he would have some strange power that would have made up for his low energy level...man..."

Vegeta smirked, glancing over at his rival. "We could always fight here and now Kakarrot. Give these fools a real show."

"But we're on a team Vegeta. We can't do that. We have to play by their rules."

"Fine. Do as you like."

-DBZ-

Chi-Chi had found it odd when she couldn't find her family, or even their friends for that matter. And when night came, that turned to worry. She had spent the whole night up with Bulma's father trying to get the Scouter to work. But no matter what they did, it just kept saying they weren't on the planet.

That was enough cause for worry. They weren't hurt were they? Where could they be? And it continued like that for a whole day. Nothing but worry and concern. Knowing them, they had probably gone fishing and just decided to camp out, and she was worrying for nothing. She'd be sure to give them a proper talking to when they got back. Honestly, what kind of family just leaves their wife and mother all alone without even telling her goodbye?

Another night past, and anger was quickly starting to overtake her worry. Honestly, it was just a pregnant Bulma. They didn't need to act so pathetic about it!

The unthinkable happened the next day. Bulma got a call. Two actually, but the second from the Royal Palace requesting help for a missing person of interest case wasn't all to important with her. No, the first call was much more important.

It had been from Orange Star High.

Apparently, two days had passed and Gohan hadn't shown up for class. After calling the Son residence and not getting any response, they decided to try and call the child's godmother, Bulma. And, naturally, Bulma passed that little bit of info along to Chi-Chi.

"How could he skip two days of school! That...that...it's his father! I just know Goku said it would be fine, and Gohan took advantage of it! Skipping school! How could he do this to me! My baby's turned into a full blown rebel! And his father just had to get him to join that gang of his. My baby! My baby! Whahhahahhaaa!"

From rage to tears, Chi-Chi slowly fell to her knees crying her eyes out. Bulma leaned over, putting her hand on Chi-Chi's back. "We'll find them, don't worry Chi-Chi. They couldn't have gotten very far."

"B-b-but! What if my baby's are hurt! I...I...uggghhhbb..." Suddenly, Chi-Chi stood up and ran toward the nearest bathroom. Bulma blinked, quickly following after when she heard the sounds of someone throwing up. Stopping at the bathroom door, she winced as she heard Chi-Chi heave once more.

"A...are you okay in there?"

The area suddenly went quiet, and Bulma wondered if she should open the door to make sure the woman inside was fine or not.

"Actually...I'm kinda hungry."

Bulma nearly fell over. First angry, then sad, then vomiting, and now hungry? Strange...wait...that all sounded...rather...familiar...

Oblivious to the two woman, either through amazing natural willpower or shear practice with his own wife, Dr Briefs was sitting infront of a monitor watching something one of his deep space satellites was picking up. It was full of static, and he had to jerry rig a translation device just to make the data compatible with his own tech, but he was picking up a very odd game-show.

-DBZ-

Stuttering, the announcer announced the beginning of the next fight. "We...well, that was...unexpected! Caesar must have really been caught off guard! Talk about embarrassing for Planet Pocket! However, he is unable to fight, so the first win goes to Planet Earth! Will the next fighters step forward?"

A young boy stepped up next. Instead of hands, he had large blades protruding from his elbows. His skin was green, and to be honest he looked more like a dinosaur than a person. Looking around, Videl pointed to the monster. "So, who's fighting next?"

Krillin, however, looked over to Trunks. "Hey...was that guy you hit...erm...strange in any way?"

"No, not really. Just felt like a normal old rock to me." said Trunks, whom was still nursing the lump on his head.

Yamcha got a wild grin on his face, looking to Krillin as he turned out with the same look. "You know what that means...right?"

"It means...it means...!"

"This is a threat to the planet that we finally can take on!"

"Ya! Finally!"

Happily, Krillin and Yamcha started to hop around, Tien smiling uneasily. Vegeta rolled his eyes, while Videl chuckled uneasily as she rubbed the back of her head.

Focusing, Krillin stepped forward. "I'll go first then!"

"Go get em Krillin!"

Krillin turned back to face his scaly opponent, finding him drawing with his arm blade things. Blinking, Krillin slowly approached Sketchy. "Uh, you ready to fight?"

"I'd rather jussssst draw..."

"Really? Well, uh...does that mean you give?"

"Sssssorry. But I can't do that." Looking up from the small drawing in the rock and sand, Sketchy eyed Krillin up. "I'll dicccce and ssslicccce you up quickly, and then get back to drawing!"

With that Sketchy charged, swinging his blades with reckless abandon. Krillin however just stood there, looking interested as the alien got closer and closer.

King Furry finally couldn't take it anymore, yelling out just before Sketchy reached Krillin. "Look out!"

In a flash, Krillin brought his forearms up to block the downward slash of his opponent. The blades hit Krillin, instantly snapping. The crowd was silence before they could even begin to cheer for Team Pocket. Jumping, Krillin kicked his foot right into Sketchy's chest which sent him flying once again right past his team. His body continued on the full length of the stadium till he crashed into the wall right next to Caesar.

Krillin turned, holding a single fist in the air as he walked back to the group. Yamcha cheered for his friend, laughing the whole time. As he neared his friends, a cheesy grin appeared on his face. "No need to worry King. We got this one."

King Furry could only nod. Truly these fighters were capable of protecting Earth, with or without him here.

The announcer tried to stay calm as he watched the second fighter fall to the Earthlings. Just...what were they? Their power readings had been so small! How...was this possible?

Goku then stepped out, stretching slightly while sporting an aggressive grin. Goten blinked, calling out to his father in confusion. "Dad? You're going to fight?"

"Why are you even bothering Kakarrot? These weaklings aren't even worth our time."

"I'm just bored. Maybe the next fighter will have some cool special power!"

The fighters from Planet Pocket looked at each other. Something was obviously up. This was suppose to be an easy win for them. But somehow it was backfiring and making them look like fools. Time for damage control. With a nod, they sent out a woman. She had a darker pick colored hair, almost red. On top of her head a white hat with a red x sat comfortably. She was dressed in standard nurse cloths. Infact, she looked almost exactly like a human nurse.

"Awwww man. She looks like the weakest out of all of them!"

"Hah! Make sure you don't embarrass us Kakarrot!"

The woman smiled, holding her hand out. Strangely enough, it started to morph into something that definitely wasn't human. Slowly, Goku's eyes widened as realization began to set in on him.

Nurse Joyce smiled as she pointing her hand, now which was a giant needle, right at Goku. "Ready for your shot?"

"...AHHHHHH! G...G...Get her away from me!"

With speeds most people in the audience couldn't track, Goku shot back towards the Z-fighters blowing threw the lot of them, sending many of them flying, until he came to a hiding spot behind the very large Piccolo.

"Goku! What in the world are you doing back there?"

"Stop moving Piccolo! She's see me!"

Gohan blinked, sweat dropping as he picked himself off from the ground. "What's wrong with him?"

Videl just sighed, looking down at the ground, blushing slightly from embarrassment. "Oh dad..."

Bardock turned away, his hand covering his eyes and he slightly shook his head. Truly, it would take some time to both get to know his son...and come to accept that it really was his son. Something, like a small flash of light in the back of his mind, went off and drew his attention.

Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Videl seemed to all have a similar reaction, though Goku's attention was quickly drawn away and back to the Nurse who was starting to come at him with a huge needle.

What caught their attention, however, had also caught the attention of the short cloaked man only known as Dark Sithus. Behind him, the larger man also in a black cloak seemed to be twitching. Almost violently shaking even.

The shorter man held his hand out, revealing his gray wrinkly skin as he waved it infront of the larger man. "What has you so tense... You must relax!"

A slight growling could be heard from under the hood, hiding the man's face underneath. However, it didn't do anything to hide his voice...

"Ka...ka..rrot...!"


	13. The Second Coming

I'm back in black baby! Someone special is back in green too...but more importantly, me! … fine, here's the mean green killing machine. On chapter 13 no less?

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 13 – The Second Coming

Bardock turned away, his hand covering his eyes and he slightly shook his head. Truly, it would take some time to both get to know his son...and come to accept that it really was his son. But before he could regroup something, like a small flash of light in the back of his mind, went off and drew his attention.

Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Videl seemed to all have a similar reaction, though Goku's attention was quickly drawn away and back to the Nurse who was starting to come at him with a huge needle. What caught their attention, however, had also caught the attention of the short cloaked man only known as Dark Sithus. Behind him, the larger man also in a black cloak seemed to be twitching, almost violently shaking even.

The shorter man held his hand out, revealing his gray wrinkly skin as he waved it infront of the larger man. "What has you so tense... I command you to relax!"

A slight growling could be heard from under the hood, hiding the man's face underneath. However, it didn't do anything to hide his voice...

"Ka...ka..rrot...!"

The large man gripped the arms on his chair, the glassy stone crumbling under his large palms. His fists, now gripped, crushed the pieces of rock that were unlucky enough to be caught in his hand until dust started to flow in the wind the man was starting to create.

The shorter cloaked man waved his hand infront of the large man again, hoping whatever technique he was trying to use to control the saiyan would work. The third alien up with the other two nervously stood up, looking as if he wanted only to run as fast as he could at that moment. The crowd however was still blissfully ignorant of how much danger they were in, and the alien fighters from Pocket still were to shocked at the turn of events to grow aware of the big screen starting to pick up a high power level.

"Come on Piccolo! Be a friend and trade fights with me. You owe me!"

Veins pulsed on Piccolo's bald forehead has he turned around and yelled at the saiyan cowering behind his cape. "This is NOT the time Goku!"

"But look at the size of that needle!"

Videl took a step infront of Gohan, putting herself between him and the steadily growing power level. Gohan blinked, looking at her curiously. "What's up?"

"You can't feel that?" Videl glanced back, a serious look on her face. "Are you sure?"

"Feel what?"

"...this is bad." Videl tensed up, gritting her teeth together. This possibility never occurred to her. But ever since they had switched bodies, they never had to power up. Thinking back, the same thing had happened to Ginyu when he took over Goku's body on Namek. Without being able to make use of the bodies special techniques, or being in tune with that bodies natural power, he hadn't been able to fight off Krillin and herself. And now the same thing was happening to Videl and Gohan.

Neither probably were in tune with their new bodies enough to even reach super, and from the looks of it Gohan wasn't even able to sense that high of a power level. It was like he was a normal civilian again.

Vegeta silently turned, looking back upon the new power, the two children at his feet curiously looking in the same direction. Tien started to shake, his eyes widening as realization started to dawn on him. Who ever this new guy was...he was strong. A cold sweat started to cover Krillin, his body instinctively taking a step back. And just when he had found some enemies he could contend with too.

Yamcha, however, quickly walked over to Goku and squatted down to talk into the Saiyans ear. "Hey Goku, you know that's not really a needle right?"

"Huh? But look at it. It looks just like a needle."

Chuckling, the bandit shook his head. "Nah...ya see, a needle is small enough to enter a blood vein. But that, it's to big to do something like that. It's just a funny looking sword."

The Saiyan blinked, and then looked back at the Nurse as she waited for him to come back out, an annoyed expression on her face. Finally, Goku smiled. "Thanks Yamcha."

"Any time."

Slowly Goku stood, no longer scared of the nurse and her needle. He quickly fazed behind her and chopped her neck. The poor woman didn't even know what hit her, and she quickly hit the ground out cold.

Now with a scowl, Goku turned to face the quickly rising power.

The man in the cloak stood, a green light starting to glow from under his hood. Growling and grunting could be heard as the struggle went on within the mind of this powerhouse. The shorter cloaked man stood as well, holding his hand out as he continued to try and keep his subordinate back.

Sadly, it was over before it could even begin. "Grrrrrraaaaaaahhhhh!" And with a finally mighty roar, the larger man pulled his elbows in as the cloak around him burst to shreds as a green ball of light encircled him. Now with everyone's attention, relieved was a ridiculously muscular Saiyan in his standard outfit.

Vegeta's eyes widened, his scowl replaced by a look of honest surprise. Piccolo's eyes widened as well, along with all the other Z-fighters. Gohan looked surprised as the loud roar caught his attention while Videl lowered into her defensive stance.

Goku looked stern as he looked up at the beast of a Saiyan. The whites of his eyes were already gone, but Goku could tell they remembered him.

"Kakarrot...!"

"...Broly."

Krillin gulped, stammering out as he looked wide eyed upon Broly. "B...but how? Didn't you finish him off Goku?"

"I thought I did. He's tougher than I thought."

Broly smiled wildly as he looked around. His newly freed mind took in all the lives at his mercy. Countless amounts. His smile only grew as his gaze came to focus on Dark Sithus infront of him. The master didn't even wait for Broly to make a move before he began his attack.

Blue lightning shot from the old fingertips of the cloaked man. The sparks danced around Broly, but they only served to cast shadows across the amused face of the Legendary Super Saiyan. Broly took a single step forward and plunged his hand into the soft belly of his former master. A red liquid dripped slowly from his fingertips as he pulled his hand out leaving a massive hole in Sithus, causing Broly to laugh maniacally as the short man fell to the ground in a heap.

Dark Achilles stood dumbstruck as he watched his master fall to the ground. Broly proved faster than what should have been physically possible with his muscles, whipping around as he imbedded a knee into Achilles. The poor fool looked like he had been shot out of a cannon, his mangled body crashing through the roof and continuing on.

The Z-fighters watched on in horror. Broly wasn't any weaker than he had been all those years ago when they first ran into him. The Legendary Saiyan turned back to face Goku and the others, his smile turning into a frown. Holding his hand out, that frown continued on to a growl as the world around him seemed to faze to green for a moment as a large ball began to shrink till it formed a green ball in his hand.

Goku quickly turned around to the others, commanding their compliance. "Everyone! Move, now!"

Broly's growl returned to sick laughter as he threw the green ball towards the Z-fighters. The powerful ball of energy moved faster than anyone thought it would, and before they knew it it was about to hit.

The ball hit the rocky ground, it erupting into a ball of light that consumed the entire center area of the stadium.

Below, the waiting teams didn't even know what hit them as the green light burned through anything and everyone in it's path.

Videl and the others watched on in horror as life signs disappeared one after another. All that death from just one attack. Gohan held onto Hercule, whom was currently shaking like a leaf from the near death experience. Goku held King Furry, the old dog the first to speak.

"What...heavens...what kind of monster is that?"

Goku glared at Broly, his anger starting to rise. Broly only chuckled, content with his work as he looked over the massive crater that now filled the stadium.

The Z-fighters landed on the edge, many of them catching their breath after narrowly avoiding that close call. Videl turned to Hercule and put her hand on his shoulder to bring him out of his daze. The man seemingly jumped from the shock of contact, but he relaxed to find his daughter infront of him...or at least whom he thought was his daughter.

"Listen...dad, you have to take King Furry and get out of here."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but eventually they did dawn on him. "...what? No! I can't leave you here to fight that...that thing! It's a monster, it'll kill everyone. We gotta run! … w-we gotta...!"

"But we need you to be the hero and find us a space ship to get off this planet. Take the king and make sure he stays safe. I'll be right behind you."

"P-promise me sweet-pea. Promise you'll follow right behind me!"

"As soon as all the people here are safe, I promise."

"Doohhhh! My baby's growing up! Just like her to protect people...sniff...I'm...so proud of you!"

Gohan couldn't help but nervously smile at the turn of events with Hercule. Still, he wasn't certain exactly of what was going on. Where'd this guy come from, why did everyone seem to know him, and how in the world did he get so big? And why couldn't he get a hold of his energy to sense the depths of this guys power?

The distraught and confused crowd was now quickly trying to push and shove it's way out of the stadium. With a smile and a few tears in his eye, Hercule turned and took hold of King Furry as he began to drag him away from the battlefield in order to find a space ship.

Vegeta turned to Goku, his scowl now back on his face. "This time, he's mine."

"Whatever you say Vegeta."

Piccolo threw off his cape and turban, getting ready for the battle to come. The others fell into place, the entire team crying out as they began to power up.

They weren't given long however. Broly swung his hand infront of himself, a multitude of green energy balls flying out from his palm. Everyone took off, zig-zagging through the mass of energy. Goku and Vegeta were the first to reach Broly, both of them throwing a punch towards the monster of a Saiyan. With a wide smile Broly caught both the punches, pulling them into him and down. Goku and Vegeta could only brace themselves as Broly gave them both a headbutt to their own foreheads.

Moving past them as they tried to regroup, Broly smashed the back of his fists into both of their backs sending them crashing towards the ground.

Next to reach him were Goten and Trunks. The two however halted their charge after seeing their fathers so easily dealt with. Goten shuddered as Broly slowly began to hover towards themselves

"Who is this guy?"

Trunks shook his head, equally baffled. "W-well, your dad did say Broly..."

"Broccoli? Eww! I hate vegetables!"

"No you idiot, I said-"

And with a sickening thud, the two arguing children were slammed into one another's head. The two were then quickly jack hammered down towards the ground by a quick moving Broly.

A red energy burst around Krillin, the next to arrive at Broly. The Legendary Saiyan threw a punch towards the short man, and it took everything Krillin had to lean back in time to dodge it. In one motion, as Krillin pulled back he readied his feet for a kick. Just as he passed under the muscular arm, the monk kicked as hard as he could into Broly's stomach.

Broly didn't even flinch from the attack. Rather he smiled down at the poor man whom was now at his mercy. At the same time Broly brought his hands down and a powerful knee up. Krillin was smashed in between causing him to cry out in agony as the pain pulsed through his body.

Tien and Yamcha quickly caught up, the bandit yelling out as he circled around and came at Broly's side. "Krillin!"

Tien went to the other, but just as they both made their move the Saiyan let go of Krillin and thrust his arms back to meet each fighter with a hand to the face, taking hold of both of them. And just as quickly, Broly flipped around and slammed his leg into Krillin causing him to plummet towards the ground, throwing Tien and Yamcha quickly after him.

Piccolo took a different approach, deciding to fire a ball of energy of his own towards the Saiyan. Broly turned to face the attack, his grin changing to a frown as he caught sight of the ball. With the greatest of ease he batted the energy back towards Piccolo. Just as Piccolo began to move away from his own attack, however, Broly fazed behind him and wrapped his right arm around the Namek's neck. The ball of light crashed into it's former owner, causing Piccolo to try and cry out in pain only to fail due to his wind pipe being blocked. Finally, Broly grew board and let Piccolo free only to spin around and slam a leg into his side which sent him flying.

Next was Bardock, who tried to charge headlong and land a solid hit. But that left him open, and Broly took advantage of that. A green ball of energy appeared around the Legendary Saiyan and Bardock couldn't help but run into it. The ball acted like a bubble of gum, popping only when all of Bardock's momentum had gone away. Grinning, Broly floated parallel to the saiyan, smashing his right fist into Bardock's back thus sending him crashing down with the others.

Left in the air were Gohan and Videl, both of whom were having trouble staying up. It had taken everything they could muster out of their new bodies just to dodge. And they were suppose to fight this monster. Broly didn't wait for them however. With a wild smile he charged towards them, a green energy ball forming in either of his hands.

Videl quickly flew over, pushing Gohan out of the way just as Broly neared the two. She could only cover herself with her arms as the two balls of light made contact and exploded. Gohan could only watch in horror as he regained his balance in the air.

It was then that out from the bottom of the smoke cloud Videl fell, her cloths battered but still together. Her eyes were barley open, and she was clearly in pain. Gohan's face quickly flashed to panic. "Gohan! NO! I'm coming!"

Broly didn't give him the time to fly to her though. The massive Saiyan slowly approached Gohan from behind. The poor boy only had time enough to turn when a powerful fist connected with his gut. Saliva flew from his mouth as he flew from the fist. He collided with Videl, the two of their bodies twisting together until they finally crashed into the ground in a heap.

Slowly, everyone began to stand back up. Broly had gotten stronger, no doubt about it. But for the life of him Vegeta couldn't figure out how such an increase were possible. He was still in that muscular form, which should slow the monster down due to his muscle size...but he was so fast! Was it due to his Saiyan blood making him stronger after every near fatal injury? But...for such an increase to go into that single form just from that...he could only hope there wasn't such a thing as a Legendary Super Saiyan 2.

Roaring , the Saiyan Prince jumped to Super Saiyan 2 himself with Goku quickly following suit. Goten and Trunks looked at each other and gave a nod, both of them powering up to Super Saiyan as well. The others powered up, everyone getting ready to do their part.

Broly only smiled all the wilder. "So, who will be the first to die?"

-DBZ-

As the crowd pushed and panicked with all they were worth to get outside, something was going unnoticed to them. If they were to look up at the night sky, behind their moon, stars were slowly vanishing from view...one by one...

* * *

**Author Annotations:**

Anyone else studying for midterms? Sorry about the lack of updates, but the real world has been calling. Anyway, here's Broly in chapter 13. But it looks like it's not as simple as a fight with Broly, though granted that's not very simply to start with. Look forward to the next couple chapters if you wish to learn more.

As always, see ya next time.


	14. The Unstoppable

This chapter is brought to you by Z, my DBZombie one shot which probably is my best work, yet one of my least well known stories. Go read it!

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 14 - The Unstoppable

Slowly, everyone began to stand back up. Broly had gotten stronger, no doubt about it. But for the life of him Vegeta couldn't figure out how such an increase were possible. He was still in that muscular form, which should slow the monster down due to his muscle size...but he was so fast! Was it due to his Saiyan blood making him stronger after every near fatal injury? But...for such an increase to go into that single form just from that...he could only hope there wasn't such a thing as a Legendary Super Saiyan 2.

Roaring , the Saiyan Prince jumped to Super Saiyan 2 himself with Goku quickly following suit. Goten and Trunks looked at each other and gave a nod, both of them powering up to Super Saiyan as well. The others powered up, everyone getting ready to do their part.

Broly only smiled all the wilder. "So, who will be the first to die?"

Gohan slowly pushed himself up, taking care not to move Videl to fast. "Gohan, Gohan! Are you okay? Say something you idiot!"

Videl cracked an eye open along with forcing a smile. "I'm fine. Only a little scratched up is all."

"...you idiot!"

While that was going on, the others were getting ready for round two. Broly had easily knocked everyone away, but now they were powered up and ready to go.

Bardock looked to the others, his blue energy roaring around him. "Broly...that's a saiyan name right? So he's a super saiyan too?"

Vegeta growled, his previous lose flashing through his mind. "He's no ordinary Saiyan. He's the one of legends. The one our stories talk about."

"B...but that means..." Almost instantly the flames around Bardock disappeared. His face was full of worry and his body almost instantly began to shake. "...we have to get out of here! He...he can't be beat!"

Goku turned, a stern face meeting his fathers. "That's not true. We've faced him before, and won. He may be stronger now, but so are we. We can win this!"

The words seemed to calm his father, but an unsure look still covered his face. Piccolo's muscles grew as he also finally reached maximum. "If you can't fight with everything you have or you're unsure, stay back. You'll only get in the way!"

"Hmph, take your own advice Namek!" yelled Vegeta as he took off alongside Goku, an angry Piccolo following quickly. The rest stayed on the ground for their own reasons. Krillin dashed over to Gohan and Videl, smiling when he found them both okay.

Broly laughed as the fight once again began. He began to charge the incoming fighters as they came at him instead of waiting like last time. Once again however, Goku and Vegeta were the first to reach him.

"Out of my way, Kakarrot!"

"No way, Vegeta!"

Just as they reached Broly, both saiyans fazed out of the way only to reappear above him. Like mirror images of each other they both kicked at Broly's back just as they fazed into view, but the attacks only seemed to push Broly faster as he flew towards the others. Piccolo saw the monster coming, and arched his back in order to ready himself. Once Broly was in range, he flung his arms out and took old of the monsters shoulders. Piccolo held his feet outright as he pulled himself in and breakneck speeds and slammed his feet right into Broly's face.

The Saiyan didn't even seem to notice.

Rather the Legendary Saiyan simply continued to fly towards the two smaller fighters, Goten and Trunks. They both scooted to a mid-flight halt, but that was all they could do as Broly caught them with his massive arms. The next thing anyone knew, all three were hitting the ground with Broly on top of them. They all wailed in pain, saliva flying from their mouths and the ground giving from the shear force of the attack.

Videl's head popped up at the sound of the crash, trying to get a better view of what was going on. Krillin quickly pushed down on her shoulders however, holding her down. "You better stay right there, "Videl", you can't fight in the shape you're in."

"B..but...they need my help!"

Gohan looked helpless, unsure what to do. Normally he'd jump right into the fray, but in the current state he was in he'd only be able to fight criminals. This Broly was out of her league. If only they had been able to switch before they got taken here...if he was back in his female body, she could power up and beat the snot out of that creep...and better yet Videl wouldn't be hurt.

"Come on, "Videl", you never liked fighting anyway." said Krillin, trying to lighten the mood. "Why now?"

Videl looked up to Gohan, a slight smile on his face. "Because...I've grown up now. There are people...I want to protect...and I don't want to have to see them hurt before I can be useful."

Yamcha and Tien looked on, understanding smiles on their faces. But there really was nothing they could do but watch. Watch...and hope.

Broly stood up, his wide frame casting a monstrous shadow over the three bodies below him. With a smile, the Saiyan jumped up. He seemed to hang in the air for a moment before he started to come down. But just as Broly was about to slam his feet into Piccolo, Goku flew at top speed and took hold of Broly's feet as he passed by. Landing, Goku swung Broly over his shoulder with all his might in an attempt to throw Broly forward into the ground.

Broly's hands caught himself just as his face was about to hit the ground. And with a flex of his abdomen muscles, he continued to forward motion bringing the surprised Goku up and around only to slam him into the ground under his heal.

Vegeta was quick to appear hovering over the two. Holding his hands out infront of him, he cried out as a multitude of yellow balls of energy shot from his palms. The first of the energy balls began to hit Broly's back exploding in bright orange lights only to be consumed by smoke.

Finally, Vegeta stopped, taking a break to wipe the sweat from his brow. As the smoke began to clear, however, it was clear that Super Saiyan 2 might not be enough to take on Broly. The monster had turned around to face Vegeta, a green bubble shield around him and a confident smile on his face. Vegeta grit his teeth together, getting ready to continue the fight. Goku fazed next to Vegeta, his cloths a little raged from Vegeta's attack.

Meanwhile, Goten and Trunks were currently digging themselves out of the rocky ground along with Piccolo.

The all finally did so, but before they could rejoin the fight they looked over themselves. Goten rubbed his hurting rib cage, happy to find everything were it was suppose to be.

"That guys just a bully. How come he's picking on us little guys even when he's so huge!"

Trunks flicked some of the gravel off his shoulder, wincing a little as he moved his arm a little farther than it wanted to go. "This guy's taking on both our dads. How are we suppose to fight him? This sucks."

"Suck it up, the both of you." said Piccolo, annoyed that what they were saying was the truth. If the duo of Goku and Vegeta were having trouble, they'd all just get in the way. At best they could give their energy to one of them like last time. But that would require one of them to not move for a while, and in a fight against Broly that could be deadly. Timing was key. The only way to beat this monster would be to either outsmart it, or try to overpower it and hope luck is on our side.

Both the boys pouted non the less, upset with being scolded by the much taller green man beside them. Suddenly however, Goten's head popped up with an idea.

"Hey, I know! Maybe he'll leave us alone if we just say sorry!"

Piccolo nearly fell out of his shoes, but Trunks gave the idea some thought. "Maybe...but would it be that simple? We should give him something and say we're sorry. That might work!"

"Ya! And I know what we should give him!"

"What?"

"Food!"

"I am kinda hungry myself."

"Me too."

"WOULD YOU TWO KNOCK IT OFF AND TRY TO HELP YOUR FATHERS?"

Cringing, both young saiyans looked up at a very annoyed Piccolo. The poor Namek looked ready to burst, and Goten and Trunks obviously weren't helping. Finally, Trunks glanced up at Goten.

"Hey Goten, did you happen to bring your ring with you?"

"Ya...why?"

Back at the fight, Goku charged headlong towards Broly only to faze out of the way to reveal Vegeta was following behind him. Winding up Vegeta landed a solid hit to Broly's cheek. As the Legendary Saiyan stumbled back from the hit, Goku reappeared behind him and kicked both of his feet into his back.

Broly fumbled forward, his body hung down. At first Goku and Vegeta smiled, thinking they had finally dealt some real damage. But their smiles quickly went away when Broly jerked up straight as he laughed. It sent chills down everyone's spines. Just how much stronger was this guy?

Spinning around, Broly smashed the back of his hand into Goku's face. As Goku spun around from the hit, Broly then brought up and imprinted the back of his boot into Goku's back sending the super saiyan 2 flying till he finally crashed into a wall. Following him, Broly smash into Goku and continued to move forward through the wall. It wasn't long till they burst through the other side, but Broly wasn't done yet. The crowd, which had been trying to escape, could only watch in horror as Broly pushed Goku through them. Bodies were slammed into and trampled or sent flying from the force.

Finally they hit yet another wall, but Broly only continued on through till they were outside. Finally, Broly stopped. Goku fell to the ground, rolling a few times before he to finally stopped. Ever so slowly, however, Goku stood back up. Blood was coming from his mouth, but a smile was plastered on his face none the less. Goku got down into a sprinters position, and at the crack of an imaginary gun he was off and slammed back into Broly.

At first, the massive man didn't move. Broly took hold of Goku, and looked like he was about to pick him up and throw him again. But then, Broly started to slide back. At first it was just a little, but slowly...ever so slowly, the two began to pick up speed. The crowd was thrown into a panic again when the two Saiyans burst through the wall again and flew through them.

Finally, Goku pushed Broly through a wall and back into the stadium. It was there that Broly took his stand, digging his feet into the rock bellow him. With his massive hands on Goku's shoulders, he began to push Goku back. Just as it looked like Goku was about to lose however, Vegeta flew in and slammed his right foot into Broly's face. Broly was forced to let go, his arms reaching out to regain his balance.

Both Goku and Vegeta jumped back, breathing heavily as they looked on. Broly was only slightly irritated even after all that?

"You're moves are indecisive Kakarrot. Come on, you're slowing me down!"

"Haha. At least I'm not wasting all that energy for nothing."

Both fighters retook their fighting positions, looking on as Broly simply stood tall.

"...Ka...ka!...Kaka...KAKARROT!"

Broly roared out, looking as if he were in pain. What was left of the ground began to shake, and a soft green light began to glow around Broly's features. His white eyes seemed to glow green themselves as he began to power up. Finally an orb surrounded him, the area around him taking a lighter green color only to come into focus around the ball.

Goku chuckled halfheartedly. "Is it must me...or is he actually getting stronger as the fight goes on?"

"Hmph! If you feel the need, you can take a break to catch your breath. Meanwhile I'll be finishing him off. I am the Prince of all Saiyans, even this monster will bow to me!"

A golden flame surrounded Vegeta, his roar reaching the heavens. Goku smiled, giving his friend a nod. "Right."

Goku then joined Vegeta in charging up, a golden flame surrounding him. Lightning dance all around them both, from their spiky golden hair to their boots.

That blue lightning around them started to fade to a green. The golden flames around them started to be joined by light orange flames as well. Their hair started to grow, becoming even longer and spikier than before.

But then all of a sudden they dropped to their knees. The flames around them disappeared, the lightning stopped, and they were both still at super saiyan 2.

Piccolo looked on with wide eyes. Both of their energies had dropped dramatically. And yet Broly was still getting stronger! "Oh no..."

Vegeta punched the ground. "Damn it! It's still just out of reach!"

Goku gripped the dirt, trying to catch his breath. "Man...going super saiyan 3 in a living body is...hard..."

Yamcha's eyes widened, shock on his face. "This isn't good!"

Tien nodded, and Krillin agreed as well. "If only Vegeta still had that dark energy from Babiti, or if Goku were still dead...oh, erm...sorry Gohan. Didn't mean it like that."

Videl forced a smile and a chuckle, signaling it was okay. "I know."

All attention was focused on Broly, however, when he roared out. The bubble that had formed around him exploded, sending large energy balls in every direction.

Bardock jumped infront of the group around Videl, holding his hands out as a blue shield appeared around them. As soon as the first balls started hitting, everyone closed their eyes and braced themselves. Only explosions could be heard, and they seemed to go on forever.

On and on they went. Gohan had thrown his body over Videl's, the two of them holding onto one another unsure as what would happen.

"It'll be okay." Ever so slowly, Gohan opened his eyes to find Videl smiling at him. Her eyes were still only half open, but they were reassuring. Gohan seemed to relax a little at that, even though he was seeing his own smile from his old body.

"But...how do you know? We can't even do anything to help..."

"You can't...give up before we try. We always find a way."

Finally, the explosions started to end. Bardock's shield hadn't been able to hold, but it had protected everyone from the bulk of the attacks. Thankfully one handle landed directly on them, otherwise it might have been different.

Goku and Vegeta were partiality buried under some rubble, but they were still conscious even though their clothes had seen better days.

Everyone slowly started to prop themselves up and look around. Everyone still seemed to be there, but where was Broly?

A green light consumed the area, slowly coming to a focus in Broly's hand, bringing everyone's attention to where he was up in the sky. It was then that Bardock noticed something. In the last attack, the ceiling of the stadium had been blown off. Infact the entire building looked like it would never be the same, but that wasn't the point. The green light up in the sky, inside a ruined building...and no stars behind the green light.

This...was just like that vision he had on the day he got his home next to his sons! But this still didn't answer the question he had back then...why couldn't he see any stars?

And then another light consumed the area, coming to focus in Broly's hand again. A small green ball formed, but still Broly held onto it. A third light consumed the area, coming to a focus in the ball. But still Broly held onto it. Everyone looked on in awe. That ball...just how strong was he going to make it? Even Goku and Vegeta's eyes were wide, unsure if they would be able to move, let alone block such an attack.

"In brightest day."

"In darkest night."

Confused, everyone turned to face the two children whom had their rings on facing Broly. Goten had began with the first line, followed by Trunks, the two of them saying the next one together.

"No bad guys will equal our might!"

Goten began speaking alone again. "Let bullies try and run from our sight,

Trunks then continued. "...beware our power..."

Suddenly the two turned towards each other and slammed the ring's together. A bright light surrounded them, but Broly didn't wait to throw his small ball of energy. Halfway there the ball grew to massive size, still continuing towards where the boys had been with the same speed. But just as the light faded, a golden blur shot through the massive ball and continued on towards Broly. The beast of a Saiyan could only hold up his arm as a sword swung down, unable to cut the skin but forcing Broly to block all the same.

And with a smile, the powerful super saiyan 2 child looked up to Broly, the massive green ball exploding harmlessly in the sky behind him. "...Gotenks' fight."


	15. The Plan

Remember that ResistanceKnight guy? You know, the one who used to update regularly till he took a kamehameha to the knee...

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 15 – The Plan

Mr Satan was lost. In his defense, this place was huge...and full of aliens...but that wasn't the problem. Oh no, being lost wasn't new to Hercule. Having to think on his feet was one of his strong points, if he did say so himself. The real problem was the fact that something strange was happening to all the aliens. Sure they had all looked bizarre before...but now...why were they getting bigger.

"My...word..."

Looking back, Hercule was reminded of his task. Protect the King of the World, King Furry. Sure, he was the acclaimed hero of the world. The man who killed Cell. But he wasn't so crazy as to actually believe it himself, though his acting may lead one to disagree with that. Nope. He new very well he was simply above average. And because he knew that, he knew just how important this job really was. Shit was hitting the fan back there, and this was all he could do.

At the very least he could protect one life while the real hero's took care of the monster. If his daughter could be so brave, so could he. And if he had to fake his bravery just to get through this...so be it.

But still. Why were these aliens suddenly changing colors? And why were they getting bigger?

-DBZ-

Bulma was, for lack of a better word, upset. Trunks was her child, her baby. With him being the child of Vegeta, there was little doubt that he would be a fighter. But at the very least she liked to know when her baby boy was off saving the world. Still, she was fairing much better than Chi-Chi.

The poor woman had nearly exploded when her three boys showed up on Mr Briefs' "tweaked" TV. After being put through so much worry only for Bulma's father to say he found them so mater-of-factually, well, it wasn't pretty. Especially with her being...well...Bulma still couldn't believe it. Goku sure didn't waste much time.

"...I think I'm going to go call the World Government. Tell em we found their King."

"Alright dad. I'll stay with Chi-Chi." said Bulma, rather flatly as she turned back to the strung out woman.

"And bring back some sandwiches! With some kiwi-fruit on them!"

-DBZ-

"In brightest day."

"In darkest night."

Confused, everyone turned to face the two children whom had their rings on facing Broly. Goten had began with the first line, followed by Trunks, the two of them saying the next one together.

"No bad guys will equal our might!"

Goten began speaking alone again. "Let bullies try and run from sight,

Trunks then continued. "...beware our power..."

Suddenly the two turned towards each other and slammed the ring's together. A bright light surrounded them, but Broly didn't wait to throw his small ball of energy. Halfway there the ball grew to massive size, still continuing towards where the boys had been with the same speed. But just as the light faded, a golden blur shot through the massive ball and continued on towards Broly. The beast of a Saiyan could only hold up his arm as a sword swung down, unable to cut the skin but forcing Broly to block all the same.

And with a smile, the powerful super saiyan 2 child looked up to Broly, the massive green ball exploding harmlessly in the sky behind him. "...Gotenks' fight."

The other fighters were in awe of the small fused boy, whom was proving to be the strongest fighter they now had. Lightning danced around him and his blade, his cloths flapping in the golden waves of energy. Gotenks sported a confident smile, but there still was a bit of childish excitement in it. Super Saiyan 2 wasn't enough to make the two playful boys go completely serious it seemed, but with any luck this would be enough.

Gotenks quickly jumped back, putting some distance in between him and his massive opponent. Broly seemed upset, or like he was in some kind of pain. It didn't take long for the saiyan to lash out.

"I will smear this world with your blood!"

A large fist flew towards Gotenks, but the boy was to small and to fast for such an attack to land. Ducking down, Gotenks shot under the hit and brought his sword around in an attempt to slice Broly's stomach. Broly simply thrust his chest forward, the blade stopping instantly when it hit the skin. Broly's face twisted in more and more pain, as if something were inside his mind trying to rip its way out. He let out a blood curdling scream as a green ball of energy started to form in between the sword and his chest.

Gotenks continued to push against the ball, but Broly simply continued to yell out in pain as the ball grew and grew.

Videl sat up, her wounds starting to hurt less now that she had been given time to rest. "Its...like, simply existing hurts him more than anything we could ever do."

Gohan blinked, looking over as Videl sat up. "What makes you say that?"

"Well...back when we fought him the first time...I noticed something. And I can feel it now, though not as much. His power is constantly rising, but his body can only handle so much. Like now, you can sense the power he's given off, but he never attacks with all of it. He every now and then expels that energy in one burst. The kind of strain that must put on the body...it's no wonder his mind is so broken..."

"That's...sad...?"

Krillin chuckled, looking on as the two teens talked. "So being born with the ultimate power is a curse now? Saiyans..."

Yamcha smiled uneasily. "Well, you do kinda have to feel bad for the guy. Right Tien?"

"I make it a habit not to pity my enemies, it tends to backfire at the worst of times."

The ball infront of Broly finally shot out like a beam, the force of which threw back Gotenks. Broly seemed to be aiming at nothing at all, however. The monster slowly began to turn, the beam cutting through much of what was left of the stadium. That gave Gotenks the time to recover, and the small fused boy took every moment he could in order to come with a plan of attack.

Soon enough, however, Broly stopped his attack. The saiyan slowly turned to look at Gotenks, a wild smirk appearing on his face. One that wanted to cause pain and spill blood without reason. Broly laughed wildly as he charged, the veins running along his muscles pulsing without any sense of rhythm.

Gotenks hovered backwards, dodging the swing of a fist. He then ducked down, dodging another. And another. And another. Despite the huge muscles on Broly, his fists just kept flying with the speed anyone would be proud of. Finally, Gotenks had enough of this. Holding his sword up, the small boy shot forwards, Broly's fist hitting the sword instead of him.

With his free hand supporting the blade so the block would hold, Gotenks shot energy into the blade as he made a second burst forward right towards Broly's face. In one motion, Gotenks swung the sword down. The blade hit flesh, and drew blood. It took both hands, but Gotenks finished the slice, jumping back to get a look at the damage he dealt.

A red slash was on Broly's stomach, going from his left peck to the right side of his abs. It wasn't deep to Gotenks' dismay, but small drops of blood were oozing out from the wound.

Broly halted his advance, a look of shock on his face rather than pain. Bringing his hand to his knew wound, he ran his fingers over it. His face didn't even wince as the skin parted, and he looked emotionless at his blood soaked hand.

"Ha...haha...HAHAHA!"

Laughing. That's how Broly reacted to being wounded physically. Gotenks couldn't believe it, and he unconsciously started to hover backwards as Broly's focus returned to him along with a wicked grin plastered on the monster's face.

"You...y-you think you're a tough guy? Laughing? Psh, I'd be laughing to if you did that to me. But I'm not, cause...cause you're to weak to even do that! So ha!"

"Oh...what's that? You have something on your face, boy."

"...I do? What is it? I can't be looking weird for my heroic mom-"

A sudden punch to the face sent Gotenks flying, Broly laughing only louder. "It was pain!"

The fused boy crashed into the ground, a crater forming around him as the ground gave in. His eyes were spinning as a crooked smile covered his face. "You...cheater..."

Shaking his head, a serious expression returned to Gotenks as he stood up. With a burst of energy and dust, the boy charged the now incoming Broly, the two fazing out of view as sonic explosions rocked the area.

-DBZ-

"S-s-s-s-stay b-b-b-behind me, M-m-mr King. I'll protect ya."

Roars of anger and pain answered Mr Satan Back, but they weren't from the King. For some reason or another, all the aliens had stopped trying to get away from the battle raging behind them and began to...mutate was the best word that fit what was happening. But they weren't growing extra toes or arms or anything like that. They were just getting bigger.

Much bigger.

Their muscles would bulge, then contract and harden, and then do it all over again as they slowly started to grow. Their skin color changed, eyes dilating and shifting shades of all the colors in the rainbow and a few that were left out of that spectrum.

And the worst part about it was it seemed to be slowing down...meaning they were almost done changing...meaning they probably would be turning their attention to them soon.

As the roars of pain started to die down, Hercule's fears were proven true.

"What happened to us?"

"I feel...amazing?"

"Ya...I've never felt so strong in my life! This is amazing! Oh, hey...is that you Champ Achilles? We've all changed...so it's hard to tell. Looks kinda like you though."

It took a moment for Hercule to realize they were talking to him and not trying to eat his insides, but when he realized they were mistaking him...for that champ guy who they said killed Frieza...okay, he could make this work.

"Uh...er, y-yes! I am the great and all powerful Dark Achilles! The man-er, um, ah...the _one_ who defeated the evil Freezer. And now that whatever happened to you has also happened to me, of course, I am even more powerful!"

"Well, that's great! Now you can go back there and show those other fighters who the best fighter in the whole universe is!"

"Oh...uh, well...ya see...I'd really like to do that. But...uh...ah! Well, of course it would be a simple matter to go back there and defeat them, but my first priority is the safety of Darth Slitheren here. Could you direct us to the fastest spaceship here?"

Instantly every alien's eyes bulged, all of them bowing before Hercule and King Furry.

"A billion pardons Darth Sithus! We didn't recognize you outside your cloak! And what with whatever happened...please don't kill us!"

Hercule smiled, sporting a cocky grin as he pointed his finger before all the bowing subjects. "As I said, if you all make way and direct us towards the fastest space ship, I'll set the Dark Lord on a corse for safty and then I'll return to defeat those weaklings behind us!"

The mass of aliens cheered, and a few of them waved the two over as the sea of monsters parted to allow King Furry and Hercule through. Confidently, Hercule followed after the aliens, unable to stop his body from twitching from pure terror every now and then.

But the person who was truly surprised was King Furry. His mouth was gaping as he watched Hercule at work. And when it not only worked, but worked flawlessly, he almost couldn't bring himself to follow from the sheer shock. Was this man a genius or a fool? All the King knew was that the answer to that question was beyond him.

-DBZ-

Videl grit her teeth together, looking up as Gotenks kept pace with Broly. The boy was doing amazing for his age, but Broly knew no limits. His power only continued to increase. Higher and higher it would go, causing him to have to release a bulk of it all at once. It couldn't even be called an attack, but everyone had to be on edge just to make sure they didn't get caught in the crossfire. And when it was all over, Broly would be ready to fight again, his strength slightly higher than before.

It was light a never ending circle of destruction. One that wouldn't stop until either the monster or the universe was gone.

"If only we had a way to help him. I don't know if Gotenks can do this on his own..."

Piccolo looked on, a tint of worry working its way into his normally calm voice. "From the looks of this, only a fused being has the power to compete with that thing."

Gohan blinked once. And then again. "Wait, fuse? Hey, Go- … I mean Videl. Do you still have those earrings that old guy gave you at the Library?"

"N...no. I think they're back home on my desk. I didn't really have time to pack for the trip here."

"Ya ya...damn, if only we had another pair of those rings so we could fuse."

Goku blinked looking back at the two talking. "Why would you need rings to fuse?"

Vegeta decided to join in the conversation then, having finally worked up the strength to move over to the others. "Because that's the only way to do it, you half wit."

"No it's not."

"..."

Yamcha's had came up and slapped himself in the face. "You know a way to fuse without rings, don't you Goku."

"Well of course I do."

Bardock's fist then came crashing down on his son's head, leaving a small lump. "Then why didn't you tell us!"

"Auch! Cause you never-"

"Just..." sighed Videl, trying to compose herself in order to get past her father's...common sense. "...just tell us how to fuse without rings."

"Sure! Hey Vegeta, get over here. I need a part-"

"Not on your life."

"But Ve-ge-ta! I need someone around my height and power level! You're the only one here that matches me."

"Three things. First, what the hell do you mean _around_ your height? Second, what the hell do you mean around _your_ power level? And third, I would rather die than fuse with you."

While Vegeta and Goku got into an argument, all the while the fight still going on in the background, Gohan and Videl started to whisper to one another.

"This could be it, Videl. If we fuse, even if we bring the wrong halves to the table, it should still fit together and work like if we were in our normal bodies."

"...how do you figure?"

"Well, it's my theory that there is this bacteria in our bloodstream that I'm calling midichlo-"

"Wait. Stop. I suddenly got a strong urge of not wanting to hear the geek speak. Just tell me if we can fight if we fuse."

"We can fight if we fuse."

"Thank Dende. I hate sitting around waiting to be saved. Videl Satin is the only one who can save herself."

"...even though we're in different bodies right now?"

"Especially now that we're in different bodies."

"R...right. Well, let's pay attention. I don't want to mess this up and have it backfire on us."

"..."

"...is my dad dancing right now?"

"I've just decided. I don't want to go through with this fusion thing anymore."

-DBZ-

Gotenks skidded to a halt mid air, his blade resting at the end of a swing. Heavy breathing marked that he was running out of time. Meanwhile Broly, who was behind him, simply shrugged off another attack. After all that work, he has still only been able to inflict one wound. Blood was starting to drip from his own hands from holding onto his sword so tightly.

Whatever Broly's skin was made of, it was enough to absorb most of the Z-Sword's damage. Gotenks was at a lost, not even a witty comment seemed like it could improve things. Turning to face Broly, he took off again. Lightning began to dance around the blade as Gotenks dove into the fray again. Broly turned as well, bringing his fist around for a punch.

If speed wouldn't do the trick, power would have to. Gotenks cried out as he swung the blade towards the incoming punch. The two attacks hit, Broly's punch deflected down with the blade causing the monster to loose his balance only for a second. It was all Gotenks needed. Spinning with the blow, Gotenks slashed the sword again, the sword cutting into Broly's shoulder. Blood flew from the wound as the sword left the slash.

Golden energy surrounded Gotenks as he stopped on a dime, forcing his body to turn around and continue his assault while he temporarily held somewhat of an advantage. Crying out again the fused boy thrust the sword forward. But Broly jerked up, the attack missing just under his armpit. Just as Broly moved up to dodge, he moved backwards and slammed his elbow into Gotenks' face. The poor boy flipped head over heals as the attack hit is face, blood flowing from his nose.

Broly wouldn't give him a moments rest however, and he was quickly caught up to Gotenks. Just as he righted himself, his hand going up to hold his face just from the pain, Broly flew right into Gotenks back head first, Gotenks' spine bending to far to be healthy as he screamed out in pain.

And to finish it off, Broly caught up as Gotenks was falling to the ground, catching his head with his massive hand and then helping him crash face first into the dirt and rock below.

-DBZ-

"So this is the fastest ship you guys have?"

"Yup. It has 6 of the new Macro-fusion energy cells inside. It gets 50 million light-years to the tanker, and it's full for ya too. Just make sure not to crash it into anything. Probably would cause an explosion so hot that it would burn anything close to a-"

"Yes yes...erm, thank you again. Well, I'm going to take Darth Snake here-"

"You mean Darth Sithus."

"Of course I do. Well, I got to make sure he gets out of here...be right back!"

And with that Hercule shut the door to the space ship behind him. King Furry looked around the ship, meanwhile Hercule was trying to figure out how the hell to start it up. The King had to admit, this thing was stylish. It looked something like a sports-car on the outside, and the inside seemed to be made out of anything and everything expensive. The floor was carpeted for Pete's sake. Real deal, soft carpet.

Pretty nice, if he did say so himself.

Hercule on the other hand couldn't beleave he was still alive. And quite frankly he wasn't about to wait around and let the aliens change their minds. The others could always just do that thing they do...where they go from one spot one moment to another the next. However...it was they...did that...

"I wonder if I press this..."

"Ah...Mr Satin? Do...you know what you're doing?"

"Not a clue." And with the click of a final button, the two were zooming out of the atmosphere. It took everything Hercule had to fight back the g-forces and press the button again to stop.

King Furry slowly picked himself off the floor, trying to catch his breath after having it taken so rudely by surprise. "My...w-word..."

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about the aliens any...what the hell is that thing!"

"What is? … I … I say..."

As the two looked out of their spaceship windshield, they were able to see something that had been invisible from the planet. With the planet in between it and the sun, it had approached the unsuspecting rock without warning, undetectable with the naked eye. But now, with them off planet, they could see what only could be described as a black blob easily as big as the planet itself slowly inching its way towards it's prey.

* * *

**AN:**

It's not that the stars are disappearing themselves, just disappearing from view cause something big is coming towards the planet slowly blocking more and more from sight as it gets closer. The same something which may or may not be playing a role in what happened to the aliens and something else much later in the show.

Hope that makes some form of sense? Anywho, thanks for reading!


	16. The Nearing End

Exactly 100 reviews? Thanks a bunch everyone!

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 16 – The Nearing End

As Hercule and King Furry looked out of their spaceship windshield, they were able to see something that had been invisible from the planet. With the planet in between it and the sun, it had approached the unsuspecting rock without warning, undetectable with the naked eye. But now, with them off planet, they could see what only could be described as a black blob easily as big as the planet itself slowly inching its way towards it's prey.

-DBZ-

"Come on Piccolo, move your hand higher!"

"L-like this?"

"Yup! Now, do as I do."

"...is my dad dancing right now?"

"I've just decided. I don't want to go through with this fusion thing anymore."

"B...but Videl, this may be the only way we'll be able to help."

"I'll admit, I've done a lot of things that I never thought I ever would since I met you, but I will never do... _that_."

"Then don't do it for yourself, or even for me. Do it for all the people of earth and everyone else in the universe, cause if we don't stop Broly here, no one will. This isn't the kind of guy you can put the handcuffs on and he'll go quietly to space jail. He's getting stronger and stronger every second. You and me, we have to end it. Not because we want to, but because we have to. Because no one else can. So, are you with me?"

Gohan wrinkled his nose in disgust before giving a sign of defeat. "You choose the worst times to be impressive...you know that?"

Elsewhere, Broly slowly hovered up from the crater Gotenks was currently laying in. Green sparks of lightning were beginning to dance around his body, proof that his power was somehow still increasing. The surrounding area suddenly was consumed with a green light, it slowly shrinking till it formed an energy ball in Broly's hand.

With a lazy toss, the ball started to fly towards the broken boy. Gotenks could only watch as it neared him, his body to beaten and tired to stand. Just as it was about to hit however, a golden ball hit the small green one, forcing the energy attack to arch back towards the sky till it exploded. Broly turned from where it had come from only to be met with Vegeta's boot. The massive saiyan slowly started to float to his side, surprise written on his face along with Vegeta's boot mark. The Prince quickly spun around as he flew past Broly, an energy ball forming in his hand as he brought it around to his target's stomach.

The ball hit, causing a small explosion around Broly as Vegeta jumped back. Broly confidently shot out of the cloud of smoke, right for the retreating Vegeta. Holding his arms up infront of his face, the Prince could only try to block as a punch smashed right through his defenses and hit his face. As he twisted back from the punch, Broly shot his other hand and caught Vegeta's face with his hand slamming it into the rocky ground below.

Broly then jumped, getting easily five stories up until he let gravity take over. He came crashing down, his full weight coming down on Vegeta's ribs causing him to cry out in pain along with blood. Broly jumped again, but before he could come down, a golden blur shot past him, sending Broly staggering to the ground. Gotenks turned, his blade sporting fresh blood as he shot a serious look towards the monster.

"Now look what you did. You made me mad."

His own blood slowly dripped down his face from a wound on his forehead, but Gotenks didn't seem to mind as he shot towards Broly, slashing his sword down at Broly. The Saiyan growled as he threw an uppercut to meet the blade. To his surprise, Gotenks let go of the sword when it hit Broly's fist, the sword twisting as it flew up. Before Broly knew it, Gotenks had not only landed on the ground, but had pushed off and had landed a punch just under his rib cage. And then a left to his stomach, then a right, another left, and another right. The fists were blurs, each sending a sonic explosion as they connected with Broly's body.

Broly could only stagger back, each blow pushing him back him with the amount of force the boy was packing. And then with a burst of energy, Gotenks shot straight up, bringing a knee to Broly's chin. Gotenks continued past, flipping as he caught his now descending blade, swinging it down in one motion leaving a long slash into Broly's back. Swiftly, Gotenks slashed again and again at Broly's back, blue blurs only visible as the blade cut again and again until Gotenks took a step back only to regain his footing for one final charge.

A blur shot past Broly, Gotenks coming to a stop on the other side huffing and puffing. A final spurt of blood shot from the monster behind him, Broly starting to fall towards the ground. Gotenks almost had time to grin, but one of Broly's hands shot out and caught himself before he could fall. As the sword stabbed into the ground to keep the small boy standing, he turned around with half closed eyes.

"What the heck...are you made of?"

"Now...you die boy."

As Broly reared a fist back to throw at the defenses Gotenks, Vegeta appeared again this time implanting his fist into the monsters face.

A little worse for ware, Vegeta put himself between Gotenks and Broly, his hands out infront of him. With a mighty battle cry, a multitude of energy balls shot from Vegeta's hand, hitting everything that happened to be close to Broly. A massive cloud of dust and smoke surrounded Broly, making it impossible to see if he was being hit or not. Needless to say, Vegeta continued to keep blasting anyway.

To Vegeta's dismay, Broly confidently strode out from the onslaught of energy balls, acting as if they were less than bug bites as they hit him. He stopped blasting in order to try and get his defenses up, but Broly backhand smashed against the side of his face regardless sending the Prince flying.

With a grunt, Gotenks pushed himself up, holding his sword out infront of him. To his dismay, that was all the boy could muster, let alone fight back. Broly seemed to know that as well, and he continued to simply walk towards Gotenks, a wicked smile on his face.

Before Gotenks could even react, Broly's fist made contact with his stomach, picking the boy up off his feet. He seemed to just hang there only able to watch as Broly brought his fist back and then slammed it into his chest again. This time the force of the blow sent him flying as well until he finally came to a stop when he hit what was left of the stadium wall.

"Tri-Beam...HA!"

Broly turned around only to be hit by a square shaped energy attack which sent him skidding backwards, the ground behind him being cut and reduced to nothingness. Tien grit his teeth together, sweat rolling down his face as his muscles bulged from the pain.

"HA! HA! HA!"

Three more of the attacks shot from Tien's hands, all of them forcing Broly back further. As for damage however, they didn't seem to be doing much if anything.

Yamcha landed beside Tien, a smirk on his face. "Hey, let one more of those fly, I got an idea."

A smirk grew on Tien's face as well. "Oh ya. Well, far be it from me to disappoint. Tri-Beam...**HA!**"

Once again, the square shaped attack slammed into Broly, only seeming to anger the saiyan along with push him back. But this time, Yamcha brought his hands up as if he were about to maneuver his spirit ball attack. With two fingers extended on his right hand, he pointed them to his right. Tien watched slightly surprised as his own attack slowly started to turn just as Yamcha instructed.

Yamcha then slide his hand to the left, the right again, up, down, and everywhere in between. The square would stop on a dime, following Yamcha's order as if it were his own Spirit Ball. The attacks focused on Broly, only allowing the saiyan a second of recovery until he was hit again by a force he couldn't seem to block.

Finally, with a cry of pain Yamcha brought the square down on top of Broly, creating a square shaped crater where the saiyan used to be standing. Yamcha quickly fell to the ground, clutching his heart as he tried to catch his breath.

Needless to say, Tien was impressed. "Wow Yamcha, how'd you manage to do that?"

"Well... I've been trying to get a hang of catching others energy beam's in order to use them as my own. Drains me, but it's pretty useful."

"What do you call it?"

"Well, that just now? I was thinking Spirit Square. What do ya think?"

"...I think it needs some work."

To both of their dismay, a hand suddenly reached up and took hold of the rock at the edge of the crater. Yamcha could only gulp as he watched a very pissed off Broly pull himself up and out.

"Shoulda known that wouldn't finish him off."

"Well, we lasted longer than I thought we would."

"True."

Over top their heads, Bardock was the next to charge in. Broly easily caught Bardock, holding his head between his two hands. Bardock yelled out in pain as Broly started to squish his skull in.

"Tell me Saiyan, did you think you could actually hit me? A lower class Saiyan like you?"

With a grin, Bardock slowly forced open one of his eyes. "Let me tell you something a lower class Saiyan like me has learned. If you're worried your going to miss...make it so you can't."

"What?"

Quickly, Bardock held up his right fist, a blue energy ball surrounding it. Before Broly could make a move, Bardock thrust his fist forward, the energy ball smashing right into Broly's face causing a flame filled explosion to consume it. Broly staggered back, dropping Bardock as his hands moved up to hold his face. Bardock didn't waste time, planting both his hands and feet into the ground and roared out to Broly as an energy beam shot from his mouth.

To his amazement, Broly regained his balance and charged forward straight through the beam landing a kick to his face. As Broly was about to follow up with a punch however, a kick to his back caught him off guard.

-DBZ-

"Gohan, you're sure you understand how to fuse?"

Gohan looked towards Videl, Videl looking back and giving a small nod. "As much as we ever will, I guess."

Piccolo nodded, a slight red hue on his cheeks. "I'm... sorry about this. But besides you and Videl, the only others who could fuse and go up against that thing would be Goku and Vegeta...and well...I just don't see that happening."

Videl nodded, gaining her teachers attention. "Don't worry Piccolo, we'll get it right."

"...hmm."

And with that Piccolo turned to join the fray. Meanwhile, Gohan crossed his arms as he watched Piccolo fly off. "I don't know why...but I get the feeling he knows we're switched."

"Y...ya really think so?"

Shaking his head, he tried to push it from thought. There were other things he had to focus on now. "I guess it doesn't matter... anyway, let's get this over with."

-DBZ-

"Spirit Burst x20!" Krillin's foot forced Broly to stagger, and as the monster turned around to attack him a soft red aura surrounded Krillin as he took off. A red trail followed him as he slowly arched back around towards Broly, a sudden burst exploding in the air as he quickly changed directions for a more direct approach. Broly grit his teeth as he threw a fist towards the incoming Krillin, but the small man was one step ahead. An afterimage passed right through Broly's fist, the real Krillin jumping overhead to Broly's back again.

Krillin flipped head over heals, his red aura burning brightly as he planted his feet. He cupped his hands, bringing them around with him as he turned to face the monster. "Kamehameha!"

The beam engulfed Broly, cutting a path of destruction as it continued on. As Krillin let the attack fade, to his horror, not only was Broly still standing right infront of him but he was smiling.

Before Krillin could power up again, Broly slammed his knee into the small mans face. And just as quickly Broly brought his elbow back, smashing it into the back of Krillin's head.

Piccolo stretched his arm out, taking hold of Broly's wrist, and as Krillin fell to the ground Piccolo shot towards Broly using his outstretched arm to gain speed. Broly pulled his arm down, throwing his free hand towards the incoming Piccolo when he finally grew near. But as the fist game, Piccolo let go of Broly's wrist and twisted mid air slamming his heal into the saiyans face.

Broly simply smiled, amused that the Namekian had been able to force his face to move. Taking hold of Piccolo's waste with both hands, Broly slammed his head into Piccolo's. Piccolo nearly lost consciousness then and their, slowly sliding to the ground.

But just as Broly was about to finish it off with a jackhammer, Goku arrived catching the attack as his friends body fell to the ground. Lightning danced around Goku as the ground gave way, Broly continuing to push down.

Broly then brought his legs up, catching Goku off guard as the force pushing down on him suddenly went away. Broly's feet both shot out slamming into Goku, sending him flying backwards. A green orb surround Broly as he gave chase, the ground seemingly dissolving if it touched the ball. With a golden burst, Goku started to back-flip continuously on the ground as he tried to get some distance between him and the charging monster.

Finally Goku landed on his feet, holding his right hand out infront of him. With a mighty battle cry, he let loose a golden energy beam which stopped Broly right in his tracks. The two entered a stalemate, Broly pushing with his green orb around himself, and Goku with his golden energy beam. Small arcs of golden energy shot around the green orb, nearly consuming it in the beam, but never the less one could tell Broly was still alive inside.

Forming another energy ball in his free hand, Goku suddenly let off of his energy blast and rather instead of charging straight at Broly himself. Caught off guard, Broly could only help but fly towards Goku, the two of them meeting in the middle. Goku thrust his left hand forward, the energy ball hitting Broly's green sphere. The two seemed to be in a deadlock again, but ever so slowly the orb gave way to Goku's fist, stretching out as the ball got closer to Broly's face.

With one final battle cry, Goku let the ball shoot out as a beam just as the attack before, the golden light popping Broly's bubble and consuming him in the attack.

Goku continued to cry out, the beam continuing as it pushed towards the skies. But to Goku's suprise, a large hand shot out from the river of energy and took hold of his shirt. Just as quickly came Broly's fist, sending Goku flying, now shirtless, till the ground brought him to a stop. Broly took a step forward as he let the cloth between his fingers free, his bloody and bruised body still as strong as ever.

"So, which of you fools dies first? You've had your chances. I've beaten you all!"

A bright light consumed the area, bringing everyone's attention to it. As it faded away, a man was reveled, sporting a white trimmed fusion vest and black baggy gi pants with dark purple trim. His hair was much like Gohan's, with one bang hanging down infront, but rather than it all spiking back it was much more wild, shooting every which way.

The short fused fighter held a thumbs down and with a voice that sounded like Gohan and Videl talking at the same time, the new fighter answered Broly's boast with one of his own.

"All but one."

-DBZ-

And as Hercule and King Furry watched, the blob slowly started to expand, encircle, ensnare... as if it wanted to consume the planet and all whom were on it whole.

* * *

**AN:**

Well, last story as you may remember had a Halloween special. This story I had planned to have a Christmas special. The question is...will it come out on Christmas or will it be late? We'll see I guess!

Thanks for all the support. One hundred reviews is just great, and I'm happy people are enjoying reading my stories. Please continue to read as this story continues on into the holiday season and next year! It's gonna be amazing, I can promise ya that.


	17. Power of the Grave

VegetabeatKakkarott – By all rights? Probably, yes. But rather, I think I'll just use my creative license and make all fused characters simply genderless. A safety measure in the technique the aliens made to prevent fused characters from procreating? Could be dangerous...for...scientific...reasons that would be to...boring for me to explain. Ya...we'll go with that.

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 17 – Power of the Grave

And as Hercule and King Furry watched, the blob slowly started to expand, encircle, ensnare... as if it wanted to consume the planet and all whom were on it whole.

Already it was nearing the halfway point. The light of that solar systems sun was beginning to touch the outer edges of the thing, seemingly being consumed rather than reflecting. It quietly continued it's task, as if it were the darkness of space itself.

-DBZ-

The fused fighter smiled, cracking their knuckles as they slowly started to walk towards Broly. "So, you ready?"

"Weakling. You need to learn your place." Broly widened his base, readying himself for battle. "And I'm willing to teach."

"Well, far be it from Godel to skip class...ha."

The area was consumed in a green light, slowly coming to a head in Broly's hand. Green lightning sparked and danced around the ball. The fused fighter charged towards Broly, to which the saiyan unleashed countless green balls of energy from the one he had gathered. Flipping head first over the first ball, the fused fighter back handed the next ball in his way.

But before he could get close, Broly stopped the onslaught to rather focus more energy into the ball. The area turned green again, focusing in on the existing ball of energy. The energy ball suddenly began to expand causing it to crash right into the incoming Godel.

As the ball exploded, Godel flew in the other direction with smoke trailing behind. A burst of blue energy exploded outward from the fused fighter, righting himself as he skidded to a halt. The rock crumbled under the fighter as Godel took off again towards Broly. Fazing out of view, Godel reappeared behind Broly. The massive saiyan turned, throwing a fist right as Godel came back into view. The fused fighter blocked with their left shoulder, taking the hit full force. Taking hold of the large hand, Godel swung around using it as a lever as he kicked out towards Broly's face. The large saiyan caught the attack in his free hand. Broly then whipped his hand around and threw Godel towards the last part of the stadium which was still standing.

The last section of wall finally gave way, collapsing over the fused fighter. Before Broly could admire his art work however, a fist and a boot hit either side of his face causing him to stagger back as he held his face.

"Stay out of my way Kakarot!"

"Hey Vegeta! What's that over there?"

"Huh?... Hey! Ka-ka-rot!"

With Vegeta distracted, Goku took off towards Broly with Vegeta following quickly after. Shooting to Broly's side, Goku planted his hand down as he kicked out one of Broly's legs. Vegeta smashed his head into Broly's chest, causing the mighty saiyan to topple over and fall back. Both Goku and Vegeta flew over Broly, both of them charging a golden energy ball in their hands and let it fly.

Fire consumed the ground where Broly was, and so Goku and Vegeta landed a distance away to let the cloud of smoke clear away.

"...something feels wrong. You feel that Vegeta?"

"It's almost like he's... under us?"

The voice of Gohan and Videl shot towards the two saiyans, yelling to them. "You have to move, now!"

The ground started to glow green as Goku and Vegeta dived out of the way as Godel flew over the area where they had been standing. With two arms arced back with golden balls of light, Godel threw them forward just as a green beam of light broke the surface. A golden beam of light shot to meet the green one, the surrounding rubble giving way creating a larger circle around the beams.

Godel slowly hovered backwards, slowly pushed further and further into the sky. Finally, Godel had to roll off, letting the green beam continue on towards the sky. When it exploded after hitting something however, Godel paused as he tried to figure out just what it had hit. Before the fused fighter could figure it out however, a sudden rise of energy caught his attention from bellow. To Godel's surprise, the entire area of land was beginning to glow green.

His eyes widened, but that was all he had time for. Multiple energy balls detonated underground, causing the whole area to be consumed in fire and flying rock. Gotenks started dicing rocks as they came close, reducing them to rubble. Tien and Yamcha started dodging incoming rock, the others blasting the larger ones with energy for those who couldn't move as fast.

Before the rocks could finish falling however, a green beam of light shot out of the darkness right for the gathered fighters. Krillin forced his body to stand, a red aura surrounding him as his muscles bulged out. As he jumped forward, he span around full circle, backhanding the beam of energy full force. The beam seemed to tail off from the hit, dying out, but Yamcha had other plans. Pointing two fingers at the large green energy attack, he swung his hand towards where Broly's energy was radiating from. The attack followed suit, flying right towards Broly.

But rather than hitting the target, an incoming rock took the hit instead causing a small explosion. Broly took off, flying through the falling rocks as he gathered green energy balls in his hand and threw them at the bunch of fighters.

Godel charged in from above, landing on a falling rock. Energy consumed his hand as he slashed through the round rock, splitting it in two. With a kick Godel sent them flying down faster than the rest, crashing into the two energy balls before they could reach the others. At the same time Godel used the rocks as a jumping point, so as he kicked them he took off right for the incoming Broly.

The two met each other with a punch, each fist hitting the others. A sonic boom shot out, sending many of the falling rocks flying away from the two. Broly brought up his free fist for an uppercut, but Godel met that attack with a jackhammer, the two attacks creating another sonic explosion as both attacks canceled each other out.

A green light consumed the area, coming to a focus around Broly. Now disregarding the falling rocks, Broly charged. Godel flew backwards dodging the few remaining rocks that were still coming down. With a sudden burst, Godel stopped on a dime to turn and thrust his palm out. Just as the arm was about to extend, a final rock passed just infront of Godel. With a battle cry, Godel shoved the rock right towards Broly.

The monster just continued right on through, the rock crumbling to dust as Broly plowed on. But just as the dust cleared, Broly found himself face to face with Godel. His fit shot out and hit the green orb around Broly and it popped, but not before Godel lost all his momentum. Broly cackled as he hovered up, slamming both his feet into the fused fighter sending him crashing into the rocky ground bellow.

Slowly, the other fighters gathered themselves. They found themselves in a small clearing, the rest of the area looking war torn due to all the large pieces of rock that had crashed into the area around them. A green light suddenly covered the entire area, coming to focus in Broly's fist. Another green light did the same, and then another, and another, and another. Broly laughed loudly as he threw the ball of light under hand at the Z-fighters. The ball suddenly grew to massive size as it neared it's target, the area slowly consumed in the green light the attack was giving off. Everyone looked tired yet frightened as the attack got closer and closer.

"Oh for Dende's sake, everyone attack at once!"

The others turned to look as Godel fazed into view in the middle of them. "I got this, the rest of you go! I'll catch up!"

The others shot around the huge ball of energy, charging headlong towards Broly. Godel meanwhile held his arms out, catching the ball as it closed in on the planet. He grunted, slowly being pushed back as his shoes left tracks in the rock and dirt.

Vegeta was first to reach Broly, slamming both his feet into his stomach. Broly coughed up blood and saliva as he lost control of the energy ball Godel was trying to push up. Broly recovered quickly, taking hold of Vegeta's feet and swung him like a sword at the incoming Gotenks. The small boy had to hold back trying to stop himself mid swing when he saw the incoming Vegeta.

Vegeta started to fall towards the ground after hitting Gotenks, the Z-sword following after him much to the small boys dismay. Before he could give chase, Broly caught him by the shirt and held on tight as he thew a punch with his free hand.

"Whoh-boy! Split!"

By the fused fighters command, Gotenks split into Goten and Trunks, Broly's fist passing right through air. With their outside hands, the two shot a small golden beam of energy right away.

They weren't all surprised when Broly emerged no worse for ware.

The two small boys tried to fly away as Broly reached out to grab them, but they flew smack right into one another. As their eyes span around in their sockets, Broly took a-hold of each of their feet, throwing them at the other incoming fighters.

Piccolo and Bardock dodged the two children, leaving them to their fate rather than catching them. The two landed right next to Yamcha, whom was to tired to take flight at the moment.

Broly folded his arms as Piccolo, Bardock, Krillin, and Tien closed in on him. Each encircled Broly, attacking from a different angle, but the monster didn't seem worried in the slightest. Even when they all charged in together, Broly simply started leaning left or right to dodge a blow.

Suddenly Broly stopped dodging however, letting the fighters hit him. Broly didn't even care, he just started crying out to the darkening sky above as if he were in mortal pain. Those close to Broly felt him gathering energy to late, and they were caught unable to escape when a sudden green ball of light exploded from him. Green lights shout out of his pupel-less eyes, the huge ball of energy surrounding him growing until all his excess energy was spent.

The four fighters fell to the ground, trails of smoke following after them. Back on the ground, Godel was gritting his teeth harder and harder as the ground under him slowly gave way under the pressure. Lower and lower Godel was pushed, but he wasn't about to give up. With a mighty battle cry, the blue flames of energy around Godel started to shift to gold. And with a sudden increase in pitch, his hair spiked up and changed to gold as well, along with his eyes turning teal.

A blue energy shot from the fused fighter's hands, pushing the ball of energy up towards the sky. Broly turned, his eyes widening as a frown of worry covered his face. Godel pushed the green orb right back to it's previous owner, Broly holding his hands out as he caught it himself. Slowly Broly brought it to a stop.

"Ha ha ha! You fool, you think you can kill me? You weaklings can barely make me bleed!"

Suddenly, a shirtless saiyan floated up behind Broly, a goofy smile on his face. "Well, that's never stopped us from trying before, why now?"

"Kakarot?"

"Ka...me...ha...me...HA!"

Goku let the blue beam of energy fly, pinning Broly between Godel and his own attack. Broly quickly was squished, the two beams drilling into him. Soon, you couldn't even see the monster between the two attacks. All seemed well, but the two fighters had a sinking feeling. Broly's energy was increasing, not decreasing. What did it take to finish this thing off?

Broly fell back to his trusty green bubble, the attacks suddenly pushed apart. Broly roared out again, thrusting his limbs out each way causing the bubble to expand. The attacks were pushed back with seemingly amazing ease, the bubble crashing into Goku and Godel, and then everyone else as well sending them flying.

Upon getting to big, the bubble popped, giving everyone one last good shove before they all came skidding to a halt.

Broly laughed as he descended, finally stopping when his feet touched down infront of a battered Goku. The area turned a shade of green, slowly condensing itself till it formed an energy ball in Broly's hand.

"Now Kakarot. You die-!"

The sudden sound of a sword cutting through flesh cut Broly off, causing him to look down at his own chest. A blade was poking out, and as Broly's head slowly turned he found Vegeta at the other end of the sword.

"If anyone...is going to kill...Kakarot...it's going to be me...Now...I think it's time you bow to your...prince."

-DBZ-

Hercule and King Furry were in a panic of what to do. This wasn't exactly an every day thing for either of them.

"We have to go back for them! That...that thing is going to eat the plant!"

"All due respect Mr King, but it's not happening. No force on heaven or earth could make me go back to that planet with that...thing about to eat it."

"But what about your daughter! Are you just going to leave her there?"

"I have complete faith in my daughter. She's strong enough."

"It's...a giant...space blob. I doubt you can just punch it in the nose to make it swim away."

"Even so, that Goku guy can teleport. He can move from the planet to here in a heart beat."

"He can?"

"Yup."

"Then...why didn't he just take us home right away?"

"You obviously don't know these people. They live for fighting. No matter the opponent, they'd stay to fight."

And as the two went back and forth, the blob started to advance on the planet. As it passed the half way point, tentacles started to shoot down from the surface. The blob started to attach long strands of itself to the planet, slowly pulling back on the strands. And ever so slowly, the mass of the blob started to pull itself into the atmosphere.

-DBZ-

Blood started to flow from Broly's mouth yet he continued to hold onto that wicked grin. "Ha! You think this is enough to kill me. It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the second time!"

High above, the first part of the blob hit the atmosphere. The planet suddenly shook, all the fighters struggling to keep their balance. But just as that happened, the sword still inside Broly pulsed. Before Vegeta even knew it a golden energy was surrounding him as his hair slowly started to grow. The sword glowed as well, a flame surrounding it just as one surrounded Vegeta. Broly was consumed in the flames, cries of pain stemming from inside the fire.

Finally, the cries stopped. A Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta pulled the sword from Broly, the crispy looking saiyan falling backwards onto the ground.

Everyone slowly stood up, peering over the body of Broly. For the first time, his energy was falling, and falling fast. It...was over?

Godel blinked, looking over the body. "Whoo. Now...that was a battle. Hey da...Goku, how do I split?"

Piccolo however had his eyes focused on the skies. "I don't like the feel of this. Something's...out there."

Goten looked up as well, mimicking the stoic green man. "Really?"

Trunks ran up to his father, whom was currently resting against the sword. "Dad! That was so amazing!"

It was then that another shaking rocked the planet, forcing everyone to try and balance themselves again. Just as the shaking stopped, a black tentacle slammed right into the ground next to them. Yamcha nearly jumped out of his skin.

"What the hell is that!"

Tien's eyes were wide, all three of them infact. "I...don't know."

Vegeta looked down as the sword was pulsing again, his eyes squinting as he tried to figure out what in the world was going on.

THUMP THUMP

…..

THUMP THUMP

With wide eyes, everyone turned to the body of Broly, and to the side they caught sight of something else sticking out from his tattered and torn clothing. Something long, brown, and furry.

THUMP THUMP

…..

THUMP THUMP


	18. End of a World

Merry Frieza Day! Here's the gift you _really_ wanted for Christmas!

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 18 – End of a World

THUMP THUMP

…..

THUMP THUMP

Vegeta reacted instantly. There wasn't time to think, time to be caught up in the moment. He knew he had to move. But even as a super saiyan three Vegeta had little hope to halt the powers at will here. As the prince swung the blade down, a pulse shot out from Broly's center. His chest heaved up as the green wave shot out, sending everything and everyone flying away from his center.

The fighters braced for pain, holding tightly to themselves as they flew. All that was left was a plain of rock along with Broly's convulsing body. Fur started to cover his arms and legs. The area began to rumble with anticipation. The vein's in Broly's body began to glow green, outlining the patchwork of blood flowing through his system. But through it all, he was quiet. It was eery.

Slowly, the fighters picked themselves up. Piccolo pushed a rock from overhead, revealing two boys below him. Godel threw his arms out, a golden shield protecting him, Yamcha, and Tien sending the rock burying them out. Vegeta stood with Trunks at his side, sliced rock on either side of him. Goku hovered above it all, an out of character speechless expression on his face as he looked over the area.

The atmosphere was consumed in flames.

Some... thing, alive but without energy, was coming from space. Long slender tubes gathered together in bundles larger than the biggest of tree's were raining in from above the clouds. They crashed into the ground, continuing past the dirt. They were separated enough that one didn't have to worry about being crushed, at the moment at least. But the sky, the night sky. It was on fire. Something huge, something on the other end of these, tubes, was entering the atmosphere.

The area was consumed in a brilliant red as the planet fought back against it's invader. But as fire consumed all horizons, it was clear that the planet wasn't going to win. Whatever it was, it was going to land.

Goku's attention was pulled back to Broly when a mighty roar reached his ears. Broly's muscles were growing, face morphing, body shifting. Already he was the size of a small house, and Broly wasn't anywhere close to being done. Turning to his friends, the saiyan hovered down. "You need to get out of here. This world isn't going to last much longer."

Yamcha gulped. "And what about you?"

"I have to stay. Finish this, once and for all. I'll... catch up later."

"That's bull shit and you know it, Kakarot. A true Saiyan never runs from a fight. I'm staying."

"Ya! Survival chances are low, probably zero percent, but that's just how I like it!" said Godel, flexing an arm just like Videl used to do.

Goten and Trunks nodded as well. "We're staying!"

The ground beneath the fighters shook. A mass of tubes landed nearby, crashing through the rock and the rubble. Broly roared, nearing the end result of his transformation into a great ape. But it all seemed far away. Distant. Around the Z Fighters, all was quiet as the end of a world echoed around them.

With a sickening thud, suddenly Goten and Trunks fell to the ground, Piccolo standing behind them. The tall green man hunched over, picking them both up before turning to face Goku.

"This is a fight only you, Vegeta, and Gohan can hope to win. The rest of us have to find a ship and get out of here. We'll just be dead weight now."

Krillin probably couldn't nod his head fast enough. "C-can't argue with logic. Goku, could you take us to the buffoon before you charge off again?"

"Who?"

"Hercule."

"Oh...ya, I guess I still got some energy to spare. Everyone hold on."

Yamcha and Tien uneasily did as they were told, and in a flash, only Godel and Vegeta was left.

-DBZ-

Hercule and King Furry nearly jumped out of their skins when Goku appeared with the others in the ship.

"What-do-ya-know, you already got into space! Good job Champ."

"N...no problem... hey, wait a sec. Where's my sweet pea? Where is she Goku!"

"Who?"

"Videl!"

"Oh...don't worry Champ, she stayed behind."

"You left my baby back there? Are you insane!"

"It's okay. She's safe."

"How can she be safe! Haven't you taken a chance to look out the window yet! There's a damn... space... thing eating the bloody planet!"

"She's safe, because Gohan's inside her right now."

"Go...hans...inside her? He's... in...side...her... What..."

And with a thud, the champ was on the floor out cold.

"Or maybe she's inside him? They're both inside a new body? Man, fusion is really confusing..."

Krillin coughed, trying to get Goku back on track. "Smooth, but don't you have somewhere you need to be Goku?"

"Huh? Oh, right! See ya guys later! Stay safe!"

And in an instant, Goku was gone again. Tien turned to look at the planet, his breath getting caught in his throat at the sight. "I... sure hope so Goku..."

-DBZ-

Goku fazed back into view, two fingers leaving his forehead as he glanced from Godel to Vegeta. "What's with the sword?"

Vegeta grunted, glancing down at the blade. "Hell if I know. It almost feels like it's tugging at me. It's got a huge blood-lust for something."

"Hey Vegeta?"

"What is it Kakarot?"

"Can we fuse?"

"I already told you no!"

"Aww! Come on, I know you want to see how strong we'll be!"

"And I know you're just trying to cover since you can't go super saiyan 3 but I can! And that's what I hate about you Kakarot! You always have to be the hero. Can't stand it if I am for a change, huh?"

"...only reason you're super saiyan 3 is cause of that sword..."

Godel finally couldn't take it anymore. "Can you two get it together? We aren't exactly swimming in free time right now."

The three fighters turned to face Broly, now standing tall as he beat his chest. With a final nod to each other, they flexed as their energies surrounded them. First Goku shot forward, a golden explosion of energy marking where he once stood. Vegeta followed soon after, z-sword in hand. A golden aura surrounded Godel as he became super saiyan, and quickly he took off after the other two.

Broly seemed to have other concerns, however. Turning to face the blob which was steadily pulling itself through the atmosphere, he opened his mouth and fired a green energy beam. Regardless, Vegeta flew right for his tail, sword ready.

But as the sword swung down and hit Broly's golden, near green, fur, the blade stopped. Vegeta was surprised, but continued to push down. He pushed and pushed and pushed, but the blade would not cut Broly. Almost as if it refused to.

Goku rather flew infront of the monster's face, to deliver a final message. "Broly! You would kill thousands upon thousands if we let you live! I thought I finished you off last time, but you survived. I'm sorry, but this time I'm going to see it through to the end!"

Broly roared a response back, swinging his massive hand towards the super saiyan two Goku. The saiyan met the attack with one of his own. Throwing a fist, the punch was enough to stop the palm from moving any more. Godel fazed into view next, hands balled together as he brought them down upon the beasts snout.

Broly stumbled back slightly, forcing Vegeta to burst away from his current onslaught on the tail. As the fighters grouped together, however, something caught them off guard.

"Give...me...the sword! … need it!"

In a gruffly voice, Broly spoke. All three of the fighters hovered down the rest of the way, landing. Was it possible Broly knew of this sword? But, how was it possible? And why did he need it?

"Now! Where... the rings? ... need them!"

Vegeta growled, having not been taken seriously. "You're making demands? Who do you think you are!"

"I am Broly, Legendary Saiyan! Strongest Saiyan ... one who will close the casket!"

Godel stepped forward. "The... the what?"

Broly roared out in frustration, a massive energy beam leaving his mouth. The three dove out of the way of the attack, watching as it carved a swath into the earth and continuing on. The planet rumbled again from the blow. Lava was starting to ooze from the world's wounds. Lightning struck the ground, randomly and rapidly. Fire continued to consume all horizons.

A bundle of tubes suddenly landed in between Broly and the others. The great ape growled, a green orb surrounding him. Just as suddenly as the tentacle landed, the ground started to shift strangely. An unease started to wash over the three fighters.

Like a flash of lightning from the ground, a black spike made up of the same tubes falling down from space shot up from under Goku's feet. He barely had time to dodge into the air when another one shot up from the ground. Thin spikes started to shoot up to the others as well, the orb around Broly allowing him to stay stationary as the attacks couldn't get through his orb to him.

The three fighters shot from the skies, finding that wasn't safe either. The...blob...was coming down. Part of it had finally breached the atmosphere. And now that part of it was through, the rest of it was breaking through easier and easier. It was gaining speed, and it wasn't going to just land.

It was going to crash into the planet. That much was clear. It shot more tubes at the four, the three z-fighters flying as fast as they could in order to dodge while Broly continued to hold up his barrier.

"If you no give sword. Broly will take. Must close casket!"

With the orb still up, Broly opened his mouth. The entire area, as far as the saiyan eye could see was consumed in green. A small green ball formed infront of Broly's opened mouth. A wave of green shrunk until it concentrated itself on the ball, compacting the energy. Again and again this happened until one final wave shrunk leaving the world return to it's normal color. The ball was now the size of a small car, but held enough energy to destroy at least an entire chunk of a galaxy.

Goku, Godel, and Vegeta could only turn and look on in awe. Goku's voice wavered. "That's not for us. That can't be meant for us! Vegeta, there's no way we can hope to stop that kind of thing!"

Vegeta grit his teeth, the z-sword pulsing again in his hands. "Both of you, give me every drop of energy you can spare, and then give me more! And Kakarot, don't' be a fool and give me to much. Save enough to make a jump out of this hell!"

Godel did as instructed, holding a hand out as energy started to leave his body and flow into Vegeta's. Goku blinked, almost cracking a smile as he did the same.

Vegeta started to roar. Gold flames surrounded him, almost making it hard to see him. Blue lightning danced around his body. The Z-sword pulsed again and again, faster as Vegeta's power rose. Broly planted his front and back legs, suddenly being pushed back as he fired his cannon.

The green energy roared like a flame towards Vegeta and the others. The prince held the sword up, the flames retreating around him as his battle cry came to a halt. The blade glimmered in the darkness, staying lit up this time. And with a mighty thrust, Vegeta swung the blade down at the incoming attack.

The three fighters attack might not have been stronger than Broly's beam, but it's shape gave it an advantage. It cut right through Broly's beam, leaving the three behind it unharmed as it split to either side. The golden slash continued to fly all the way till it reached Broly and struck his orb. The orb fell, and for a moment, Broly was defenseless.

Spikes shot from the ground into Broly's feet, causing the monster to roar in pain. A tube from the blob shot from the sky, flying right through Broly's back and out his stomach to crash into the ground. Smaller spikes continued to shoot from the ones now inside, hitting every organ Broly had.

A whimper escaped the monsters mouth as he fell, the spikes keeping him propped up somewhat. Meanwhile, Vegeta fell to the ground. Spikes shoot for him as well when he grew near, but Goku came in quickly and swept him up.

Godel flew after them, to join Goku so they could get away. But before they could reach each other, the planet shook again. As if the blob was declaring victory, the planet continued to shake. The ground were the stadium once stood gave way, a lake of lava making itself known. Tornado's whipped up, causing Godel to strain as he reached for Goku.

With Vegeta's arm wrapped around his shoulder and half-unconsciously holding on, Goku reached back for Godel. The wind rushed past their faces, lightning in the distance. Light was slowly fading, making it harder and harder to see even their own hands reaching out infront of their faces.

Sweat rolled down Godel's face. Goku's body groaned. None of them had the energy for this. But finally, Goku and Godel locked hands. They both let themselves smile, pulling each of them together. Goku's hand neared his face, closing in on his forehead.

PshT!

But it was to late. Thirty minutes was up.

Videl, the real Videl in her own body was left holding onto Goku's hand as he made the jump. Gohan, the real Gohan in his own body however, was left falling towards the planet.

-DBZ-

Goku, Vegeta, and Videl fazed into the ship. They were greeted with cheers from the others. But they didn't celebrate, cutting those cheers short. Goku fell to his knees, laying Vegeta down almost subconsciously as his eyes were wide in shock.

Piccolo was the first to notice the missing person. "Gohan! Goku, where is he?"

Videl scampered to her feet, falling once but quickly righting herself up against the ship's interior. "Goku! You have to go back! Gohan! He... he... we split before we got here!"

"Everyone! Give me you're energy! Anything you can spare, quickly! I need to go back for my son!"

Videl fell again, her body tired from the fighting. Her soul weak from being moved to a new vessel again. Her heart crying out in worry for that weird boy who sits two seats to her left.

"Damn it...Gohan..."

-DBZ-

Gohan couldn't believe it, but he didn't have time to worry about that. Turning his head as he fell, he found the spikes shooting off higher and higher for him. It took all he had, but a golden barrier surrounded him just as the danger grew near.

Shielded, Gohan crashed through the spikes. The thin objects shattered like glass, letting Gohan continue to free fall. The spikes continued to shoot at him, creating a thicket below him. Gohan came to a halt, hovering in the center as the shield continued to hold him in place. Gohan grunted when he saw a larger spike take aim at him. He flung his arms out in an attempt to keep his shield, but the spike was to much. It burst through his bubble, the energy crumbling apart as the spike slashed against Gohan's shoulder.

He cried out in pain as he flew, blood trailing behind him until he hit something. Something furry? Forcing his eyes open, he found himself caught by none other than Broly. But he looked wrong. His greenish gold fur was loosing it's color. The blood that had been rushing from his mouth dried, and then slowly was carried away by the winds, piece by piece.

Gohan couldn't fight the hold, only watch as the red eyes of the legendary great ape Broly turned to black.

"The Casket has been opened. All will become one. Join your cries with mine. All will bow to the union, even time."

Gohan listened as the great ape spoke. It sounded like Broly, but a dark undercurrent along with black spikes inside Broly's mouth lead Gohan to believe it wasn't him anymore. "...who are you?"

"I am."

"You... are?"

"I am. My maker called me Casket. An old world term for a final resting place. A place where people go when death has claimed them and time threatens to take them. A place to preserve the body and soul, even if both can no longer be seen. An... accurate description. But it is a word. Vibrating air, pushed through a tube. It doesn't describe. What I am can not be explained with air, with a puppet. Fear not, you will understand...when you join as well."

Broly's body brought up it's free hand, spikes shooting out of the flesh. Gohan's eyes widened, realizing death... or something far worse was coming. But his body was broken. Tired. Giving all his energy to Vegeta when he was fused with Videl had drained him.

Videl... Gohan couldn't help but think of her. He smiled sadly when he thought about how upset she'd be when she found out he was gone. He had put her through so much. He was gonna do it again too. But Videl was a strong girl, Gohan knew that. She'd have to be. Looking up, Gohan watched as Broly's fist began to move towards him, spikes already shooting out for him.

Wasn't it about now his father would swoop in and save him? That always seemed to be Goku's way. At least he'd call out to him, tell him to be strong. Be there with him, when it mattered. Tell him what he already knew, but in such a simple way it sounded more like breathing than fighting. Just reach inside and pull it out, he would say. Pull out that hidden power. That god damn power of his. It never seemed to work with him. Work like how he wanted it to. It always had to wait till someone was hurt. Wait till his trigger was pulled. Gohan hated himself for that. Waiting till it was to late, and then barely being able to keep all that rage focused on the bad guy. Countless times he had caught himself getting ready to attack a friend.

It was like a second person inside him, one who would come out and attack everything when he got mad. The worst of it was, he knew there was no other person. He was smart enough. Gohan knew. It was his energy. He couldn't control himself, not his energy. He was some kinda monster.

But... being a monster wasn't all bad. If that meant people in the end were saved, it was alright. The end justifying the means, just like Vegeta said back at the Tournament. One of the few human sayings Vegeta came to like, and even use it seemed. Humans war torn past was something Vegeta always took interest in, for some reason. All this fighting, all that war.

Gohan hated it, but he also found something about it awe inspiring. He couldn't help it, it was in his blood. Not saiyan.

Human.

That constant struggle of moving forward, falling down, but getting back up. Even Gohan had to admit. With everything humans had done wrong, they still continued to move forward. Every evil they committed, everything they did wrong, it was all warranted. It was all okay. Because that constant learning and moving created hope. Hope for something better.

And that was something Gohan could believe in. Gohan didn't even notice his hair turn silver, nor the blue ball of light form in his hand. He just suddenly found himself fighting back.

The ball of energy shot forward from Gohan's palm. It hit the incoming spikes, consuming the fist in a blue fire. The shock wave from the blast rocked the immediate area, causing Broly's grip on Gohan to lessen. Slipping through, Gohan began to fall.

A body blurred into existence just as Gohan began to free fall, taking hold of the boy as the figure fazed back out of view.

-DBZ-

Goku reappeared back on the ship, Gohan's arm over his shoulder. Everyone let go a sigh of relief as Goku set him down against the wall. Videl rushed to him, nearly shoving Goku out of her way. Her small hands clasped themselves to his face, turning it each way to get a good look at him. His hair was black, his body was beaten and looked soar, but his eyes were still the same. So was his damn cheesy smile.

Tears began to fall from Videl's eyes, rage and relief flooding her blue blue eyes. A weak hand of Gohan slowly lifted itself and caught a tear, causing Videl to nearly jerk away from the contact.

"You jerk."

"...sorry."

Videl pushed herself into him, her lips meeting his. The boy blushed, caught off guard for merely a moment before he returned the affection.

Stifling a chuckle, everyone looked away to give the two some form of privacy. Goku picked up Vegeta along with the help of Yamcha, the two of them moving the prince towards the front of the space-car, the others following as they left the two teens in the back.

Krillin moved to the steering wheel, looking over the controls. He was followed by Tien who sat down in the second chair.

"You know how to fly this thing Krillin?"

"Possibly. If we can find a way to input earth's location, the ship should fly itself. Problem is I can't read alien. We'll need Vegeta."

As Vegeta was lain down, Hercule came to across the way on the seats facing the prince. He had to blink a few times, his eye's focusing while they tried to remember where he was. For a second he mistook the space ship for one of his limo's, and to his defense the inside did somewhat look like one. But his brain quickly went dead when his eyes focused in on Gohan and Videl, to which he quickly fell back into the seats that lined the space car out cold again.

After a few seconds of kissing, Videl broke off and burred her face into Gohan's chest. She didn't' make a sound, but Gohan could feel the tears both making his tattered shirt wet and the ones flowing down his own face. He held her tight, resting his forehead on the back of Videl's head. He was tired.

A sudden rush hit the Z-fighters. A shiver ran up their spine, and they all braced their stomachs. Gohan and Videl looked to one another, each of the color draining from their faces.

Everyone, including King Fury but save Hercule, slowly stood and moved to the right side of the car. A thousand voices in their head were crying out. Energies were disappearing. The voices were being silenced. As they looked out the windows, they found the blob not giving chase, but rather finishing with the planet.

The black goo already was over half of it, while the other half looked to be on fire. The Z-fighters looked on, only able to watch as an entire planet worth of people died. Their energies disappearing.

The now conscious Goten and Trunks uneasily looked around, for reassurance. But the adults were just as in pain as they were. And so, they watch to honor those who they couldn't protect. A sick feeling worked its way into each and every one of their throats.

And as the planet was consumed, the last of the people's energy disappearing, an eery silence filling the ship.

Goku fell to his knees, punching the hull in frustration.

Bardock fell into the seat behind him, his hands running into his hair. Again, he had to watch as a planet was destroyed.

The others moved away from the windows, save Gohan and Videl. Piccolo moved to Krillin, putting an arm on his shoulder. "Get us out of here."

The small man nodded. The others turned to their wounds, trying to assess their own damage. But Gohan and Videl continued to look out the window. Both were leaning on each other, Gohan's arm over Videl's. Videl continued to hold onto her stomach, Gohan letting his forehead hit the glass.

Everyone was silent for a time. For many, this was the first time experiencing this feeling.

Failure.

It hurt, for never had the Z-fighters been so utterly and completely beaten.


	19. Scars

Hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday season. Here's some TaP to ease yourselves out of that hibernation state. Nine out of ten doctors agree it's the cure all medicine of the future. Don't ask about the other doctor though. We don't like to talk about him.

* * *

**~Universal Tournament Saga~**

Chapter 19 – Scars

"Move over, I'll just do it myself."

"Sure Vegeta."

Krillin slowly stood, making way for Vegeta. The ship itself was quiet, the taps at the control board seemingly echoing throughout the machine. Towards the back everyone was making makeshift bandages out of their ragged clothing.

Goten and Trunks were quietly looking over the Z-sword. Both of them looked a tad blue, and their uncharacteristic silence seemed to even put themselves on edge.

Bardock had untied his headband. For a while now he had just kept staring at the bloodstained cloth in his hands. Memories were flashing before his eyes, but his face remained expressionless.

Piccolo had taken to looking out one of the windows and King Furry had joined him shortly after. Yamcha was making rounds around the ship, making sure everyone's wounds were taken care off. Tien was with Krillin, watching Vegeta reroute the ship towards Earth. Hercule was trying his best to control himself, now that he knew his sweat-pea was infact still pure, but he couldn't help but glance over every couple seconds at the wounds her pretty face now sported.

Goku and Videl were both with Gohan, the one who seemed to have taken the worst of it. Some cloth covered the wound he took from "The Casket", or at least one of it's many spikes. Gohan smiled as a concerned Videl hovered over him.

"Don't worry. I have a bad habit of guarding with my left shoulder in a pinch, so it always takes the worst of it. It always heals up though, I'll be fine."

"...it still would be a good idea to get it looked at."

"Alright alright, I'll have Bulma look at it when we get back. Okay?"

Videl glared at Gohan. How he could laugh it off while she was taking the wound seriously irked her for some reason. But there was no helping it now. They had done everything they could for now. Till they got home, it would have to be enough.

Goku gave a small sigh, holding his hand down in order to help his son stand. "Well, all that matters is you're okay."

Taking the hand, Gohan slowly stood from the seat he was on. He nearly fell over as the blood rushed through his system, making him feel light headed. Goku quickly caught the boy, putting Gohan's good arm over his shoulder.

"Thanks dad."

Slowly the father and son limped towards the front of the ship. Videl however lagged behind. Her head shifted from left to right, looking over the broken bodies and faces of the fighters. This had been the first time she had ever seen them so... down. They were almost always cheerful, full of hope. Even when it seemed like there was none. But now... now it looked like they really were humans.

Goku sat Gohan down in one of the nearer seats to the cockpit, the teen grimacing as he griped his left shoulder. Videl sat down to Gohan's right, resting her head on his good shoulder. Gohan watched her out of the corner of his eye, a nervous lump making itself known in his stomach.

Goku continued on, passing through a door into where Vegeta was. Krillin turned to look when the sound of a door opening reached his ears, and he forced a smile.

"Hey Goku. How's Gohan and the rest of them doing?"

"...well. We'll all survive."

"That's good."

"So, Vegeta. Can you get us home?"

The prince turned his head, his face sporting new bruises as well. "Of course I can. Only problem is even with this ship it'll take six whole months till we get back."

Goku scratched the back of his head. "Hmm. Well, we could make an adventure out of it. Space is a pretty cool place."

Tien stepped in, shaking his head. "Goku, we all have families now. I can't just pick it all up and go whenever I want to. They need me back home."

Krillin nodded as well. "Sorry Goku. You know I'd love to go, I really would. It'd be like old times again... but I have a daughter I need to care for now. And besides... I don't think anyone's up for an adventure right now."

"Right... you're right. We gotta get home. Chi-Chi's probably worried sick about Gohan."

Turning around, the four of them made their way out of the front of the ship. Rather than everyone being ready to go, however, they found most everyone asleep. With Piccolo meditating in the back, King Furry and Yamcha were finishing up making sure everyone was comfortable.

Bardock's eyes opened as the four walked past where he was sitting. He shut them after watching only for a moment.

King Furry stood as Goku and the others approached. The others continued on, finding their own spots to rest, but Goku and King Furry stood and looked over the tired fighters.

"I'd like to thank you Mr King, it looks like everyone's sleeping."

"Oh goodness, it's the least I could do. If I may, how's the ship coming? Will we be able to get back to earth soon?"

Goku sat down on the floor, resting his head against one of the seats as King Furry did the same. "We got the ship on the right track, but it'll take to long to get back home. We're pretty deep in space. I'll instant transmission all of us home when everybody wakes up."

"I see. That's good, that's good. I'll be honest, my old bones can't take much more of this. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm looking forward to getting back to running the world."

Goku forced a chuckle, the two of them finding silence. Vegeta sat down next to Trunks, eying the boy only for a second before closing them. The others as well found places to make makeshift beds, their tired bodies quickly falling to sleep.

King Furry glanced over to Goku. "What...was that thing?"

"I... really don't know."

"To think such a horrible thing exists..."

"When I was in space before, I saw all kinds of amazing things. But nothing like that."

"You've been in space before?"

"Want to hear about it?"

The old king gave a single nod. And as the adventures of the Z-fighters was told once again, Gohan fidgeted in his uneasy sleep, his left shoulder pulsing with pain.

-DBZ-

Gohan stood in a familiar place. Nothingness stretched for miles. Darkness upon Darkness, with three large balls of light circling around one another. This was where Darkon had come from. Where Gray had lived. But ever since the fight at the Library, he hadn't been here. Part of him hoped to find Gray there, to know he was safe and to be able to say sorry.

But nothing. Just silence. Silence upon silence. Looking around knew something had to be out of place for him to be here. And so he flew, leaving his energies behind him. He flew and he flew, finding nothing. It seemed like hours, but easily could have been minutes. With no landmarks, it was impossible to tell if any progress was being made.

He stopped however, tired of feeling like he was getting nothing done. Turning around, he found the massive white, black, and brown balls of energy behind him. If they had been following him or if he hadn't moved, Gohan couldn't tell. But this time, he could see something different. In the middle of the energies, a single black spike stood.

One that looked ungodly familiar.

-DBZ-

Videl woke to screaming. Her sore body instantly protested any kind of movement when the screaming caused her to literally jump out of her sleeping state. But all of that was pushed to the side when she found the source.

"Gohan?"

Goku appeared over Gohan, holding him down. "Gohan? Gohan! Snap out of it Gohan!"

The others on the ship stirred to life, finding the cause of their sudden awakening. Gohan's body convulsed, sending fresh wind up his throat which only increased the sound of his screaming. Piccolo was at Goku's side next, helping the saiyan hold Gohan down. "Gohan, you have to wake up!"

Goten took hold of Videl's shaking hand, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin. She found herself standing. When had that happened? And Goten looked so terrified.

"Videl, what's happening? What's wrong?"

"I... I don't..."

"GAAHHH!"

The sound of flesh ripping reached everyone's ears. Goku and Piccolo skidded back to a halt, shielding everyone from Gohan. Three spikes each a foot long had shot from Gohan's shoulder. Spikes that looked just like the one the blob had been shooting at them the whole time.

Piccolo growled. "Didn't Gohan say he got hit by one of those things?"

Goku nodded, teeth gritting against one another. "Ya, but how is this possible? He was fine not to long ago!"

"There's no time to worry about that." growled Vegeta. "Kakarrot, get us home! We can't help him here!"

"Right! Everyone, grab hold!"

It took a second for everyone to process the response, but soon they had formed a chain, with Piccolo holding onto the back of Goku's shirt. Goku himself took hold of Gohan's hand, his son's body starting to shake more and more. And just like that, everyone left the ship behind as they moved towards Earth.

-DBZ-

Gohan jumped back just as the spike spawned itself a clone, the new spike shooting off the old one right at him. He was a good distance away and still it almost hit him. As he floated to the side, another spike shot out from the new one. Again, it was dead on for him. But this time he didn't have time to dodge it.

The black spike ripped through his left shoulder, causing him to cry out as he fell to the ground. He landed with a thud, his right hand catching himself. As Gohan tried to stand however, a sudden spell of dizziness forced him to retreat back to the ground. Leaning on his elbow, Gohan palmed his forehead. His mind was like a drum, constantly thumping inside his skull.

What in the world... was happening to him?

-DBZ-

The Z-fighters reappeared at Capsule Corp. The second they appeared, Gohan's voice carried itself across the entire city with a terrible cry of pain. In the grass, Gohan squirmed. The spikes in his shoulder retracted back inside, blood flowing from the new holes in the skin. Lifting his head up, Gohan slammed it back down into the dirt. The ground cracked from the force.

Goku was quick to restrain Gohan again, but his son was strong and it wasn't easy to keep him down. "Gohan! Gohan, what's wrong? Listen, you have to tell us what's wrong!"

Piccolo didn't wait, as soon as Goku took hold of Gohan he was off. Colorless energy wrapped around the Namekian as he flew faster than he previously thought he could. Bardock was with his son just as quickly, taking hold of Gohan's other side. Vegeta was there as well, forcing Gohan's legs to hold still and stop kicking.

Another spike shot out of Gohan, this time out of his lower neck just above the left shoulder. The burning pain renewed the screams.

Videl clasped her hands over her ears, falling to her knees. She couldn't take it anymore. That screaming, that blood curdling screaming. It was vibrating right through her. She couldn't keep it in her stomach. Not for much longer.

Her eye's slowly started to drift up when the sound of clawing reached her ears. She found a hand infront of her, clawing at the ground to get closer to her. Following it up, she found it to be Gohan's. As the others tried to hold him down, she could just see through the web of bodies to find Gohan's face. Tears of pain were rolling down his cheeks in waves. His eyes were clamped shut, but for just a moment one opened and looked right at here. It quickly closed again, but the hand kept clawing towards her.

Videl's body was exhausted. Every fiber of her just wanted to pass out. She punched the ground in frustration with one hand, taking hold of Gohan's with the other. She hated her weakness, wanting to pass out. She was Videl Satin. The least she could do was stay with him.

A sudden shiver of foreboding rushed up Goku's spine. In a second, he dove off Gohan, taking Videl with him as he dove off to the side. Bardock and Vegeta, feeling it as well, did the same just as Gohan's back arched off the ground, countless blacks pikes ripping through his entire left arm.

The others slowly started to pick themselves up, looking on in horror as Gohan's body slowly started to pick itself up. Like a creature without a spine, Gohan's torso slowly started to pull up until Gohan was somewhat standing. His body quickly whipped forward, hunching him over as his arms hung limp.

His mouth opened slowly, black spikes inching their way into the left side of his mouth. "Only fools try to outrun their Casket..."

Gohan's voice was his own, but a low undercurrent made it clear someone else was talking. Videl shot for him out of instinct, but Goku held her back. The saiyan's voice was low, serious, and powerful enough to make everyone look to him out of shock that it was Goku.

"Give me back my son."

"This vessel is the first of many. You all will bow in time. Kill this body, save your planet. It will only delay the..."

Gohan's body suddenly shook, his right hand coming up to grip his head as his normal voice returned for a time. "...danger! Dad, the world is in danger! What ever is in me, you have to kill it! Even if that means I go with it! You have to..."

"...fear what you don't understand. It is your way of survival. But we offer you a better solution. When all is one, pain will..."

"...end everything. This thing will eat us all, make another blob! So stay back, if you get stabbed, you'll..."

"...come to understand the truth. The truth that as you are, time will take you. You will die. But in me, you will find victory against the forces that control you."

"Gohan!"

The gruffy voice of Piccolo echoed over Capsule Corp. Everyone turned around just as the green man threw a small green bean towards Gohan. The senzu bean traveled almost faster than the eye could see. It took only a second for it to crash into Gohan's mouth. The boy quickly chomped down, swallowing it.

He cried out once more, falling to his knees again. The skin over his shoulder seemed to ripping as things retreated under it's veil. Gohan's screams echoed all the louder, but the spikes poking out of his body fell back, the body healing the wounds just as quickly. But when all the visible wounds were delt with, Gohan continued to writhe in pain.

What happened next shocked everyone who was forced to watch.

Gohan pushed the ground with his right hand, the earth cracking even more so under the force of the blow. He then took hold of his left shoulder, the muscles bulging between his fingers and he took a vice like grip to his own body.

"Get. The Hell. Out. Of My. **BODY**!"

The sound of ripping muscle reached everyone's ears. Then cracking bone. Blood began spurting and flowing in waves, splattering each and every way as veins were ripped apart. With one last mighty cry and pull, Gohan ripped his own arm clean off.

He then threw it out infront of himself, falling forward due to his current state. But before he passed out, he pushed himself up, a golden energy ball forming in his free hand. Holding it out infront of himself, Gohan nearly growled as he watched spikes shoot out of the limb. Gohan's right arm recoiled as he fired the golden ball, the energy consuming the arm and the remnants of what had been in his body moments before.

In an instant, the extremity was gone along with whatever was inside it. Gohan fell forward, out cold and loosing blood fast.

Dende was trailing after Piccolo, flying as fast as he could. It was all to a blur after that for Videl however. Her body shivered, her stomach clenched. Her eyes slowly rolling into the back of her head as the sweet embrace of sleep took her forcefully.


	20. Convergence

Fun Fact – We're only halfway through this story! And that's only saga-wise. If we were to start talking chapters, we're probably only two fifths.

* * *

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 20 – Convergence

Gohan fell to the ground. His face pushed into the dirt, the grass tickling his nose. His bruised knuckles punched the ground, the earth cracking from the force of the blow. His left shoulder bulged and rippled as small black spikes were pushed in between the muscle and the bone. His body healed, but _it_ was still inside. That thing that was trying to become his casket.

There was no time to think. If it was left in, it would simply grow again. Now, for a mere moment, it was held up, bottled together in one spot. It all needed to go, like how one trims a tree of it's dead branches.

His right hand took hold of his shoulder. Thumb in his armpit, fingers already squeezing the muscles above. The flesh already was crying in pain. The nerves screaming in his head. His fingernails dug into warm flesh, the first signs of blood dribbling out.

Gohan glanced up. His eyes looked over the grass to his family. His friends. To Videl. Subconsciously he reminded himself that this had to be done. They all seemed to be frozen now. Unmoving statues, with horror carved into their faces. Some looked as if they were running towards him, others were moving their hands to cover their mouths, to shield the eyes of the children.

Closing his own eyes, he began to pull. Gohan lifted his head up, slamming it into the ground again. The bones began to strain, the tendons stretching to their limit. But he had to go farther. Faster. It would start spreading again soon. Farther. Pull farther. Farther!

Skin began to rip. Muscles tore. Bone broke. Nerves cried.

And with one final pull. It all came. He fell forward, throwing the body part out infront of him just as spikes shot for his body again. Gohan caught himself with his forearm. Just one last thing. A golden ball of energy formed in his right hand. Holding it out infront of him, his entire body recoiled from the shot as the ball left his right hand and traveled for his left.

A cloud of smoke erupted around the infected arm, colors of red and orange seeping through the screen.

Gohan finally allowed himself to fall flat onto his stomach. His body slowly began to go numb. He could see green grass stained red as his eyes drifted to the left and then up. The world started to go dark, his eyelids becoming lazy. Gohan was tired.

"_It's way to early for sleep."_

-DBZ-

Gohan's eyes shot open. A cool sweat was rolling down his forehead. His eyes glanced around as he scanned the area. A white room. Very clean looking. Was he in the hospital?

Beep.

His bed was bent up in the middle, letting him sit up even as he rested back. There were IV's in his arm as well. They must have been putting something into his system, cause his body didn't feel quite right. It was lighter, and every cell seemed to be tingling.

Beep.

With some effort, Gohan hunched himself forward. That turned out to be a worse idea than what he had thought for the world started to spin madly when he moved. He moved his hands to catch his head, and his right one followed orders. And it felt like his left was doing the same, but it never moved. Glancing over, predicting to find the limb numb laying at his side. A lump of horror and surprise caught itself in his throat when he didn't even find a nub.

Beep

Gohan's stomach churned, and he had to clasp his right hand over his mouth just to keep his last meal down. He glanced back over at his left side. For the life of him, he could still feel something there. He could feel himself moving his arm, bend his elbow, move the fingers... but there was nothing there. Just nerves in his brain saying they passed the message on to the arm even if they never were received.

Beep

"Hee haehe..." Coughing, Gohan realized just how dry his throat was. He couldn't even admit to himself out loud that this wasn't a dream.

Gohan ripped the IV from his arm and all the other wires and tubes that were connected to him.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

Twisting Gohan hung his feet over the side of the bed. The world was spinning again, but not as bad as last time. Slowly he lurched himself forward. His brown tail poked out from the crease in the back of the hospital gown, stretching out to help him balance. The tiles that made up the floor were cold as ice. His naked feet nearly turned blue as the heat left from the toes. Gohan made his way for the door, wanting to find some food, clothes, and some answers.

-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

Where was everyone?

-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

A ball of energy formed in Gohan's arm. Quickly the saiyan whipped around, throwing it at the machine suppose to monitor his heart rate. The machine was silenced, consumed in flames. Gohan found himself breathing heavily, teeth clenched and eyes full of anger.

He fell to his knees, his right hand cupping his face as he tried to calm himself. His dry throat made his breathing sound forced. Rough. Gathering what little saliva was in his mouth together, he swallowed. The liquid burned as it went down. It felt like he was swallowing a knife. But after a moment the burning passed, and this throat did feel a little better. Gohan stood, his attention turning to the door. It swung open, the hallway beyond it leading to a flight of stairs. One by one, step by step, Gohan made his way up towards the light at the top. He had to shield his eyes once he reached the summit. As his eyes adapted, he dropped his guard. He found himself in something of an observation room.

This room was carpeted, though it was high traffic material and thus rough on his feet. As he walked through the room, he glanced at the screens infront of the four chairs. Many of them were live pictures of the room he had just been in. Others were showing medical information on the body that was no longer hooked up.

Gohan focused on a cup that was sitting at the far terminal. Steam was floating out of the cup, and based on the smell it must have been coffee.

Gohan continued out that rooms door. Behind it was a long hallway. Long and straight with only one door on the other side. His bare feet once again felt the cold tiles under them. The skin slapped against the cool surface, the pitter patter his feet made echoing in his ears. Step by step Gohan got closer to the door on the other side. Reaching out, he took hold of the round handle.

A sudden rush of fear pulsed through his body. A feeling of pure loneliness. One he had been feeling ever since he woke up, yet one he hadn't noticed just till now. Gulping, his throat burned once again. A deep breath steadied his hand, and with a huff he pushed the door open.

A sudden burst of wind hit him. He didn't bother shielding his body this time though. He couldn't bring himself to stop staring.

"It's... gone."

Beyond the hallway door the dome of Capsule Corp had been leveled. The sun was setting over the far off hills, casting shadows off what was left of the building. The sky was a brilliant orange. Gohan looked down, finding himself at least ten stories up. He took the final step forward, falling off the edge. Gohan focused just before the ground, stopping himself on a dime as he touched down.

The long grass tickled his toes, the dirt staining the soles of his feet. A breeze gently blew through his spiky hair. The city beyond what was left of Capsule Corp looked worse. Buildings in ruin. Lack of care was obvious. But with no one else there, Gohan could feel it. This cities ghost...

He could hear it's heart beat. In his stomach. It pulled him forward. Gohan found himself walking down the empty streets. The roads were a mess, cracks running up and down - left and right. Weeds sprung up where they could. Flowers fighting against the concrete. Life finding a way.

Gohan stopped at the center of an intersection. Turning to the left, he found someone. A man, standing just as tall as he was. He had black hair cut short save for a grouping of spikes running along his forehead. The man was dressed in orange, with a familiar kanji over his heart. And his left arm was missing.

"You're..."

"...me."

The two Gohan's looked at one another, the one dressed in his fathers fighting colors speaking first. "You... sure are strong."

"Physically maybe, but mentally... you're stronger... from what I heard."

"No... I did it wrong."

"What?"

"I did it wrong. Close off my potential by mistake. You have to find the right way."

"How are you even here? Am I... dreaming?"

"Fate transcends time. We can't escape it. The time lines, they're converging. The new becoming the original, the old fading into the new peacefully. Goku, I'm not sure how... but he knew that. That's why he stayed dead after you beat the andr... after you beat Cell. He was meant to die."

"Converging? What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"The others won't notice anything. The only reason I'm able to be here is because that thing was in you."

"If the time lines are converging... that means that Casket was heading for the future earth too. And if you put a message into it..."

"The Kai's weren't really happy about it, but I dove in once I learned what was happening. The memory then shifted into your Casket. That thing used you as a messenger. I just piggybacked on. I don't think I was the only one either..."

"But... how'd you know I would be the one to get hit? And how did you realize this was happening in the first place?"

"The dragonballs... are a very powerful tool. All it took was a wish from Namek. Dende probably got in trouble for helping me, especially since I already was dead but it really won't matter soon. And it was the only way. The Kais somehow knew, and told us about it when we tried to get them to let us go back to earth to defend it, so we would stay and wait quietly. And seeing you now...without your left arm. It's proof enough for me."

"You wished for me to get hit by that thing?"

"I knew I could handle it, so I knew you could too."

"That kind of risk..."

"I needed to get you this message."

"That I need to do something right. What exactly?"

"Anger has always been our trigger, our prison. I knew I would have to make use of that to kill 17 and 18. But I did it wrong. I tried to force it. Make my anger bend to my will. It doesn't work like that."

"So how does it work?"

"You. You've given a face to your anger. That might make it harder, or easier. I don't know. But you have to work with it. Accept it."

"But Darkon and Gray are both gone."

"No... they're both with you. In you. You'll never be free of your anger or the sadness it causes. Don't think of them as tools for you to get stronger like I did."

"Wait wait wait... if the time lines are becoming one... but everyone but me and Trunks died in the future! That means... "

"They'll all die when that thing comes."

"Is... there anything we can do?"

"I think Goku found a solution. My father probably converged with yours after yours died. That's how he knew to stay dead. That postponed it all these years for the others. The year Goku had till the heart virus hit changed to three. The three years they lived after Goku died from the heart virus turned into seven after he died from Cell."

"But how could your dad know in the first place? How could he help my father piece together the delay?"

"It's Goku we're talking about. He probably just had a gut feeling after he died."

"That doesn't answer my question though. Is there anything... anything at all that we can do? A gut feeling isn't going to save us."

"Death follows everyone. I know that probably better than anyone. I'm not sure what to do. Maybe there really isn't a way to fight our fates. But we can't quit trying. Even if that means going back in time again. Leaving it up to another Gohan."

"Recursion in other words. Making as many copies as needed to solve a problem, like a computer program."

"Exactly. All I can do is tell you what I know. So you have a better shot of succeeding where I failed. You already did it once."

"I guess, this is a plan I would come up with..."

"The time machine wasn't a mistake, but it hasn't solved anything. Only delayed. Fighting fate isn't something that's going to be easy. We both know that. But if there's anyone who can do it...it would be us. _It's way to early for sleep."_

-DBZ-

Gohan's eyes shot open. A cool sweat was rolling down his forehead. His eyes glanced around as he scanned the area. A white room. Very clean looking. Like a hospital.

Beep.

His bed was bent up in the middle, letting him sit up even as he rested back. There were IV's in his arm as well. They must have been putting something into his system, cause his body didn't feel quite right. It was lighter, and every cell seemed to be tingling.

Beep.

….

Beep.

….

Beep.


	21. The Year of the Dragon Begins

Confused enough yet?

* * *

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 21 – Two Months to D-Day – The Year of the Dragon Begins

Beep.

….

Beep.

….

Beep.

Gohan slowly sat up, a feeling of deja-vu washing over him. Looking to his right, this time he just turned the heart monitor off rather than blow it up. As he disconnected himself from all the other machines, he caught sight of a change of clothes next to his bed. They were dressier than day to day clothes and they even felt warm to the touch. Someone had been by recently. But why dress clothes? Deciding they were better than walking around in this hospital gown he found himself in, he quickly changed and exited the room.

Rather than stairs, he found the control room right through the door. And while it lacked the hot cup of coffee, Gohan couldn't help but feel someone had been their not to long ago. Closing his eyes, he extended his senses. He found quite a few people in the building, which was comforting.

Gohan's concentration was broken when the sudden rumble of his stomach caught his attention. By the gods he was hungry. Groaning from the stomach pains ailing him, he quickly started to make his way through the halls of Capsule Corp. It was dark outside. It must have been pretty late the night was so thick. But at the same time, the city seemed brighter than normal. And the outside also looked strangely cold.

Pressing his hand to the glass, Gohan was shocked at just how cold it felt. How long...

How long had he been out of it?

Staggering backwards, Gohan shook his head as he tried to calm himself down. Despite that, he could easily feel his heart thumping away inside his chest. His body felt unusually sore now that he thought about it. And not sore from physical exercise. More like from a lack of it.

To get his mind off it, Gohan focused on the energies of the others. He pressed on, trying not to worry about what awaited him. The smell of food found it's way to his nose. His stomach telling his feet to hurry up. He found himself infront of a pair of large doors with lights and sounds of a party seeping through under the door. And not a small private party either with just the friends. If Gohan remembered right, he was infront of the large dinning hall where Bulma always held the large office or business parties.

Gulping, Gohan pressed on, pushing the door open with his one hand. The full force of the sounds, smells of food, and light hit Gohan head on. He had to squint uncomfortably at first, groaning under the strain. When his eyes finally could see again, he had to wonder if he was dreaming still.

"A... Christmas tree?"

Looking around, Gohan found other holiday decorations scattered around the room. That included one large banner which read 'Happy New Year' on it. But... school had just started a few weeks ago. How could it... how long...

Gohan's hand caught his head. He kinda felt dizzy. Out of place. Something definitely was wrong. Forgetting his extreme hunger for the moment, Gohan started to push through the large well dressed crowd as he tried to find someone familiar, or at least his friends he could feel on the other side.

Gohan started to notice people taking note of him, and especially his missing left arm. A new wave of unease washed through him. They would whisper sure, but the way they went about it... even if Gohan couldn't hear what they were saying he would have been able to tell they were talking about him. He unconsciously put his hand over his left shoulder, the loose fabric of the sleeve making him feel anxious.

Pushing on, Gohan weaved in and out as he made his way through the mass of people. His stomach needed food badly. It was starting to rumble loud enough to hear now. But first, Gohan needed to see the others. Everything was so... foggy. Not adding up. Last thing he could remember was falling asleep on that spaceship. It was pretty obvious something had happened after that. But Gohan... just couldn't remember.

Finally Gohan made it to the other side of the dinning hall and exited out the side door. A flight of stairs greeted him. Quickly he rushed down them, nearly tripping over himself as he tried to get a sense of his new center of balance.

Leaning against the nearby wall, Gohan groaned. These dress shoes were killing him. They just seemed to love digging into the soft spots on his foot. His body felt lazy too. Despite the discomfort, he didn't even feel an urge to take them off. Infact... he was feeling really sleepy.

… was it because he was so hungry? Or... was his body really just... that tired...

-DBZ-

It was dark when Gohan woke up. Not that it wasn't dark before. It's just that was the first thing he thought of when he came to. Slowly he sat up, rubbing his eyes. Even as his sleepiness started to ware thin, Gohan could sense something was wrong. Standing up, he brushed himself off. Straightening his suit and shaking off the rest of his daze.

Finally, Gohan figured out what was bugging him. This entire time, his left arm was back! Pink, full of life, and real. Right there. Gohan held it out infront of his face, looking it over. It held all the scares he remembered it did. And yet...

Jumping into a fighting stance, Gohan held his left arm back. His eyes sharpened. What little energy he had rose, and his muscles tensed up as he threw his fist forward.

He hadn't meant to, but the force of the punch was strong. The entire left side of his suit imploded into nothingness. But more than just that happened. The skin, from his fingertips to his lower neck, his entire arm, it all shot off like a cannon leaving a black metal-like substance behind. As the flakes of fake skin floated down to the ground infront of him, Gohan looked over the black substance that now made up his arm.

That's it! That's what happened! Gohan could remember now, he could remember it all. He had to rip his arm off to get the Casket out of him! But... how was that even... just from one cut? Then... but then he had failed? It was right here infront of him, clearly still in his body. Why was it still in him? And it wasn't attacking. Why wasn't it attacking him?

_Silly boy..._

Gohan's eyes widened as his voice echoed through his mind. He could only watch as the black material making up his hand started to twist at the forearm. Around it went, again and again and again it went around. It twisted with such speed it was impossible to think clearly. Finally it stopped, the black palm right infront of his face. A small slit appeared, and to Gohan's horror it started to split open.

_Why am I still here? I never left._

With an alarming and sickening jerk, the slit opened, revealing a eye that was as black as night.

_No matter how hard you try, you'll never get rid of your darkness._

-DBZ-

"DARKON!"

Gohan shot up, finding himself in that dark hallway still. Cupping his forehead, he found himself drenched in a cold sweat. His breathing was heavy, erratic. He could feel his heart beating rapidly. Had that really all been...

"A... dream?"

No. For the longest time now Gohan hadn't had a normal dream. They all had meaning. Especially since he said that name when he woke up. Darkon. Why had he said that name? That stuff that made up his arm... it definitely was the same stuff the Casket had been made out of. But the Casket had always referred to itself in third person. In his dream... it had said _I_. "I never left."

Gohan groaned, running his hand through his spiky hair. He had a strange sensation again, like when he woke up. Glancing over, he once again found the limp fabric of his suit to greet him so rudely.

Shaking it off, Gohan weakly stood. Leaning against the wall with his good shoulder, Gohan started to walk forwards again. His body felt so tired, even after his nap. Perhaps it was because of his map. But something in his gut forced him to keep walking.

He wanted to, above everything else, make sure everyone was safe.

Finally, he found himself infront of a door with his friends energies on the other side. He could slightly hear them through the door, but his eyes were drooping and his senses weren't working right, rendering him unable to make out what they were saying.

Gulping for a reason he couldn't understand, Gohan twisted the handle and pushed the door open. He was greeted, with a very lack luster, "Happy New Year!"

Gohan blinked, finding everyone standing infront of a TV that had just reached zero. "Happy... New Years?"

Silence washed over the room as everyone turned to the sound of a familiar voice. For the longest time the group just looked at Gohan, as if they were trying to figure out if he was real or not.

A round bellied Chi-Chi was the first to find her voice. "Gohan!"

"...mom? What's... you're? … "

"GOHAN!"

Goten shot towards Gohan, crashing into him at full force. The small boy clung to his older brothers shirt, crying into his chest. Gohan meanwhile fell down as his breath was knocked clean out of him. Sucking wind, Gohan rubbed the top of his bothers head.

"H-hey there little guy. Sorry for making you worry."

Gohan stood as his mother rushed over followed by the rest of his extended family. Chi-Chi joined her youngest son in crying madly into Gohan, muttering inaudible sounds. Gohan's eyes softened as he looked over them. He had been so worried about himself, he hadn't even thought about what the others might be thinking. His head looked up when a strong arm found his back.

Goku smiled, squeezing his son's shoulder tightly. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back... but wha-"

"Gohan," yelled Krillin, cutting Gohan off, "you scared the hell out of us kid!"

Bardock smiled to himself, happy to see his grandson up and about again. Vegeta stood apart, continuing to drink as he kept a wary eye on Gohan. The others continued to crowd around him. Hugging him, albeit tenativly Gohan noticed. He had a sinking feeling about this. His stomach kept doing flips, no matter how much he tried to keep his emotions calm and collected.

"Sorry Krillin, everyone. I didn't mean to scare you. But... if I'm remembering right, there wasn't much else I could do."

Everyone started to drift back towards the chairs and couches infront of the large TV, trying to give Gohan more air to breath. Yamcha smiled uneasily, "Well, you sure surprised all of us, that's for sure."

"Really guys, sorry. But... is it really New Years?"

Bulma sat down, her own large belly trying to burst from her shirt. "Ya... you've been out for four months Gohan. Are you gonna be okay?"

"Y... ya. I'm be fine, just... it's a lot to take in."

"Well, there's more."

"More?"

Krillin glanced over to Bulma, unease written all over his face. "You sure it's okay to tell him already Bulma?"

"Krillin, look at him. He already knows."

Krillin's head whipped over to face Gohan, shocked that the boy already somehow knew. Gohan gulped as he sat down, his bother and mother still clinging to him as if he'd disappear if they let go. "It's... still inside me, isn't it."

"Yes... but the good news is that after you... after you got back it isn't done anything. But with it so close to your heart, and you out cold... we didn't want to do anything foolish."

"Thank you for... all the help Bulma. Really. I... just need... time to think."

"Of course."

The room was quiet for a time. The TV was turned off, and everyone just sat around thinking. Gohan closed his eyes, trying to breath and calm himself.

"I... know it's selfish. But can we use the balls? You know, to get it out of me and get my arm... back?"

"That was the first thing that came to mind... but..."After a moment to compose herself she leaned back into the chair. Taking the dragon radar out of her pocket, she tossed it over to Gohan.

"I've been checking every day, but no luck. The dragonballs are...well, missing."

* * *

**AN:**

This was the chapter I wanted to get out by Christmas/New Years. A little... okay, I'm a month late. I'm also a human! Who's in college! … and owns a copy of Skyrim! So... nya!

Gohan's been out for four months, meaning Chi-Chi is now six months pregnant, and Bulma is seven. There's two months left, so it's gonna get crazy. I'm surprised how easily everyone accepted Chi-Chi being pregnant by the way. No one even said anything about it!

I know it's unfair of me to talk up the final saga just as the third one starts, but it's mostly happy-go-lucky filler till the final saga now. Important filler mind you. A few more final touches still need to be done for the final saga, but the foundation is already there for you to see and figure out.

The calm before the storm always seems to take forever anyway, right?


	22. Reunion

Okay, time for things to calm down. Everything got a little crazy, and I can't really answer many questions till we're closer to the end, but hopefully the few answers I do give you here and there will sustain you till The Storm Saga.

* * *

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 22 – Reunion

"Missing? But..."

Bulma sighed, resting back as she rubbed her tummy. "This happened once before... a long time ago. It was only one ball at the time, and we found it easily with Fortune-Teller Baba's help."

"Baba?" Gohan blinked, looking up confused. She was Roshi's cous... sister, right?

Chi-Chi sighed, resting her head on her son's shoulder. "Not even that old witch could figure out where they had gotten to."

Gohan's head suddenly popped up, realization setting in. "But what about Dende? Is he okay? If we can't find-"

"He's okay!" assured Bulma, waving her hands to try and calm Gohan down. "Worrying constantly about you, and upset that he hasn't been able to help, but he's fine."

Gohan let go a sigh he hadn't realized he had been holding onto. He could deal with all this happening to him. But if he had come to actually _hurt_ anyone else... well, Gohan wasn't sure he'd ever be able to live with himself.

Bulma continued on, starting to ramble as her pregnant body coupled with all the excitement started to get to her. "Piccolo's been keeping Dende pretty busy, which is good. After the senzu bean didn't work, Dende tried to heal you himself, but he felt that thing still inside and he was afraid to do anything. Then they tried the Sacred Water but not even that stuff was able to clear out your system. Which is weird, cause that's suppose to be able to do that, right? I mean, that stuff is made by Kami himself. You'd think it would at least work. But anyway, they're busy making different versions of it to try and help you. You should probably tell them you're up, maybe they'll be able to figure out just what's in you know that you're up or something."

Gohan nodded, only really catching parts of what she had been talking about. It would be a good idea to let everyone know he was at least up and about. Not everyone was here so they probably were... worried. Gohan felt a lump from his stomach suddenly shoot up into his throat, lodging itself firmly there. Videl. Oh goodness, he... well... had to see her! Gohan couldn't believe all the things he had thrown towards her. Of all the rotten things he could do... making her worry constantly seemed to be the only thing he was good for. Gulping, and shrugging off his stomachs renewed plea for food, Gohan forced himself to his feet.

Chi-Chi was quick to her feet as well, scanning every inch of her son's body for any sign of danger. "Gohan! What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yes mom, I'm... well, hungry. But that has to wait. I have to-"

"Nonsense! My baby's hungry, and it's my job to feed you! Now you just sit down and I'll go whip something up."

Goku giggled happily. "All right! Could you make me some meat with a side of potato's?"

If looks could kill, Goku would have dropped dead then and there along with everyone else in the room unlucky enough to see it. "**You will sit right there while my baby eats his dinner! Do I make myself clear?**"

Gulping, Goku withdrew. Gohan smiled uneasily, standing up again even after his mother sat him down. "No, really. I'll eat something as soon as I get back... I just really have to-"

"Sit! I'll be done in fifteen minutes! Now I said sit!"

"But mom," pleaded Gohan, trying not so nonchalantly to hide his embarrassment. "I really should go tell her that I'm okay."

"Who?"

"Y... you know... Videl."

Realization hit Chi-Chi, here eyes getting wide as she put two and two together. A flicker of worry passed over her face, but it was only for a moment as indifference took it's place. "Why, t-that's a fine idea. I-I'm expecting you to smooth things over with her. You can't let such a sweet thing slip through you fingers! Do you understand!"

"Y-yes!"

"Well, alright then! Get going!"

"Right!" shouted Gohan as he rushed out of the room, unaware that Goten was still clinging to his chest for all the chibi was worth.

Chi-Chi was able to hold her poker face for a whole five seconds after Gohan had left. After that however, she promptly broke down and started to cry. "Darn that girl! She stole him! S-she stole him from right under my no-ho-hoooose! Whaaahahhaaa!"

Goku put a hand on his wife's shoulder, whom responded by burying her and her bloodshot crying eyes into his chest. Goku held her tightly, a smile just as warm as his embrace holding her close.

"So Chi-chi... about those potato's..."

"**WHAAAHAHHAAA!"**

"Alright, alright! I was just kidding. It's okay Chi-Chi. Gohan's a good son, he'll be back. Really, it's gonna be okay."

-DBZ-

"Sorry Goten, I didn't see ya there."

It was late, and cold, even though there wasn't that much snow on the ground below. The town bellow was quiet, the white fluff absorbing the bustle of those were were still up celebrating while reflecting all the colors the festive city was decorated in. It was... beautiful. But Gohan couldn't focus on any of it, even if he had wanted to. All kinds of worries were flashing through his head. Was Videl upset with him? Why hadn't she been at the party? Had she been hurt? Had... he hurt her? It was nerve wracking. It took all Gohan had to make sure he didn't fall from the sky with his lack of focus, let alone try and hold a conversation with his little brother, who was probably just has hurt and worried as Videl.

"It's okay... Gohan?"

"Hmm?"

"Well..." Goten looked down, holding tightly to his brother's back as the teen flew towards the outskirts of the city. "You're gonna be okay now... right?"

Gohan slowed down unconsciously, holding his left shoulder. "Of course I am. I'm strong, you know that, right! Something like this won't stop me. I bet we'll find the balls before you know it and everything will be back to normal!"

"But...dad and grandpa have been searching everywhere every day since you went... asleep. And they couldn't find... anything." The normally high pitch voice of Goten was slowly getting softer and softer, somehow cutting Gohan down more and more as it did.

"Hey... we'll figure something out, okay? Trust me, dad's the kinda guy who'll find a way no matter what. So no more worrying, got it?"

"But..."

"No more buts! Got it?"

The small boy quietly nodded, resting his tired head down on Gohan's back, making sure to turn his head to the right, as to not see the loose fabric whipping in the wind to his left.

Just as the two were leaving the West City limits, Gohan's head popped up. He felt someone following after them. Pretty strong too... Vegeta? Slowing down, Gohan turned in the air to face the power as it closed in on him. Goten crawled up, peeking his eyes over Gohan's shoulder. It didn't take long for the Prince to catch up, white energy wrapping around him as he slowed to an instant stop.

"Vegeta? Is something wrong?"

"Of course. You shouldn't even be breathing now." Vegeta's eyes narrowed as he glanced to Goten hiding behind his brother, but quickly he returned his gaze to Gohan himself. "But the fools were stuck in keeping you and that thing alive."

Gohan winced, a tickle of fear working its way up in the back of his head. That's right... by all rights... he probably should be dead. When the Casket hit Broly, it... well, it pierced every part of that great apes body. It killed thee Broly withing seconds... why had it stopped with him?

Goten nervously pushed himself over Gohan's shoulder, yelling at Vegeta. "I'll never let you hurt big brother! You bully!"

The hard stare of Vegeta shot right back at Goten, instantly pushing the small boy back behind Gohan. Gohan's eyes went wide, shocked at the turn of events. Vegeta had wanted to... kill him? But why?

"Of course I wanted to. Anyone with half a brain would agree."

Gohan's head whipped ahead, back to Vegeta. His mouth was opening up, wanting to say something. To ask why... but he just couldn't find his voice. Hadn't Vegeta changed? Why would he...

"But of course, the woman had to put emotions into everything. Protecting you, of all things, and putting the whole planet in danger!"

"Danger?" Finding his voice, Gohan questioned the prince. "Why would you want to... kill me?"

Vegeta huffed, a monotone voice answering as if it were obvious. "That... thing is still in you. If it were to wake up again, it could infect other people just like it did to you. With just a scratch, it could spread like a plague. You want to risk that? The thing could wake up at any time, at any place! And the last thing we need is someone as strong as you spreading it."

Gohan shut his mouth promptly. Vegeta had a point. As much as Gohan didn't want to admit it... he couldn't help but agree that what Vegeta was saying was the truth.

"If that thing were to get out, Kakarrot and myself would likely have to kill an entire city just to contain it, you along with it. And while I could do that with ease, the fool and his friends likely wouldn't have the stomach. And since you've never died before, we could bring you back with one wish if we just killed you, here and now. It's the logical thing to do."

He... was right. Gohan hated to admit it but... it was the safest plan they could use. He would... of course have to die and wait till they found the dragonballs, an idea that really didn't sit well with him... but it was the only 100% sure fire way to make sure this thing got off the planet. And Vegeta had even thought about getting himself back to boot. Maybe Vegeta had changed... a little.

"I... see." The idea continued to wrestle inside Gohan's head. As much as he loved living, that was the only way to get all of it out of his body. And yet... maybe it was an excuse... but he couldn't think about doing that to Videl. "Vegeta?"

"What."

"If this thing... starts to wake up, promise me that you'll make sure I don't hurt anyone else. Can you do that?"

Vegeta eyed the boy for a while. Goten was clearly shocked that his brother would say such a thing, but while the two argued the Prince just watched him silently. Perhaps the whining child had grown up a little. Finally Vegeta broke the brotherly quarrel, his voice stern with a slight undertone of surprise if you listened close enough.

"Of course."

Gohan blinked, smiling thankfully after a while. "Thanks."

After a moment of uneasy quiet, Gohan turned back towards Satan City. "Well, I'm going to go... check on Videl. But I promise to go back to Capsule Corp right after. You wanna come Vegeta?"

Vegeta gave a nod, and so quietly the three took off towards Satan Manor.

-DBZ-

Hercule Satan was know for throwing the best of the best when it came to parties. No expense was spared. The main reason for that was companies were constantly trying to get their items there so people would take note of them, so that people knew thee Champ partied with their stuff. Ironically, because of that the parties were normally pretty cheap for Satan himself.

But this time... things were different. Hercule was in an odd spot he had never found himself in before. Videl was... upset to put it very very very lightly. Her grades were down. She hadn't been helping out the force as much as she had been. She had locked herself in her room for hours on end. Her skin was pale and she wasn't eating... This party was the only thing Hercule could come up with to get Videl at least back on her feet. He got those two close blond friends to come over. He had prepared a private New Years Eve party for them, this year planning on having a large King Furry Day instead.

It was small. All the snack food they could eat was ready to be made in five minutes. All kinds of chip dip, video games... movies, everything that he could come up with to help Videl feel better. It was all Hercule could do but throw things at her. She hadn't been this upset since her mother passed, and Hercule just figure out any other way to help her feel better. It was... the most he could do.

He new very well what exactly she wanted. The small, scrawny Gohan boy was the only thing that could break her out of her funk. But he was out cold miles away in West City with no sign of waking up any time soon. Why... if that boy ever woke up by Kami Hercule was sure as hell going to put the boy back out for another week for doing this to Videl.

He also new very well he couldn't do that, to that Gohan or to Videl even if he wanted to. But that boy hurt his sweet pea, so he definitely was gonna try.

And so... nervously, the champ watched as Erasa and Sharpner watched some movie with Videl. They all were laughing at the movie, but they all seemed uneasy as they did so. He hated feeling so useless, but he had to put his faith in those two friends of hers.

Erasa and Sharpner glanced at one another after their laughter died down. They were happy to see Videl laughing and smiling, but it was so fake... even for Videl. It had been so long... and still she hadn't been able to pick herself up. The poor girl had never been in love. Maybe a crush or two, but never something quite like this. They didn't expect her to move on any time soon, but they had at least hoped she would be able to get to her feet and talk to them about it normally.

It just was to awkward to bring up. Erasa had tried many a time to talk to her about it. Sometimes Videl would brush it off, pretend to not hear what she had said. Other times... she would just burst into tears. It was painful. Unbelievably painful. But they had to try and keep pushing on Videl, or she would just lose herself int all of this.

Videl sighed, hopefully quietly enough so the other two hadn't heard her. She hated being like this. Every day, every night... every second of every day she felt like dead weight walking. She hated being weak, but never in her life had she felt so hopeless. Every day after school she had gone to visit Gohan, despite the protests of the others who were worried for her safety. They were of course right, in that it was dangerous to be with him if that _thing_ woke up while she was in the room with him... but she couldn't leave him alone in their. She just... couldn't.

She had stopped crying when she saw him after two weeks. She still cried about it, to this day infact much to her annoyance. But after two weeks she no longer began to cry just at the sight of him. A small milestone, she guessed.

But another problem she found was that she lost her powers. Maybe it was the body switching, or just the stress of everything going on... but she had lost the ability to use her energy. She had to relearn it again. It had turned out to be a good stress relief, something Videl found that she was in great need of. And thankfully she was able to fly pretty well now, and was getting the hang of spirit burst again... but it was difficult.

A month ago however... an idea crossed her mind. This wouldn't be the last time something like this happened. If she were to... fall in love with Gohan... he would always rush off to save the world. Likely leaving her there, since her powers were so weak now. And odds were... he might not come back. Or come back hurt, again. That idea... that simple thought... it haunted her now. She couldn't get it out of her head. She had stopped going to visit the others then. It was only painful. Part of her wanted nothing more than to go visit Gohan, to be there when he woke up. But another part just wanted nothing to do with him and this pain.

It was so confusing. She had, for a time, thought she loved him with everything she had. But... she didn't now. She was scared, which pissed her off for other reasons, but never the less she was terrified of the idea of losing him. And part of her knew it would be easier to leave him. To fall for a normal person, and to lead a normal life. If she didn't love Gohan with all she had... it wasn't right to make him settle for her anyway. He deserved someone who gave their everything to him. He was that a great guy. And if she couldn't do that...

… it wouldn't be fair. To him or her.

A sudden rapping at the window door to the balcony nearly made all three in Videl's room jump out of their spots on the bed and floor. Their eyes shot for the source of the noise, the silhouette behind the glass all making their stomachs all go hallow with nervousness.

Erasa sucked air in, clasping her hand over her mouth as she gasped from the surprise. Sharpner quickly jumped to his feet, rushing over to open the door to make sure it was really happening and Gohan really was there. Gohan smiled oh so very nervously as he walked in, his right hand scratching the back of his head.

Videl however, was quiet. Her blue eyes were as wide as they could go, and tears were streaming down her face, but she had lost all ability to move after that. Was this real? Was she dreaming again? Could it be... possible?

Goten peaked around Gohan's leg, clinging to the boy's pants. Truth be told he wanted to rush to big sister and happily show her that Gohan was okay, but the uneasy quiet in the room made him stop and watch for now. Infact, everyone had froze, keeping their eyes on Videl and Gohan's reaction to one another.

He turned his head, to try and break the silence without looking at her, but no matter how far it turned he couldn't bring to break his eyes from here. It didn't make sense. He shouldn't be worried, it was Videl after all! But this... silence. It felt... unending? No, it was different than when he was in the vastless blackness whenever he retreated to where Gray and Darkon had been. This silence... he knew eventually it _would_ end. And that... simply by knowing it would end... it scared Gohan, because it felt like anything could happen once they both started to speek.

Videl however was silent for another reason. She was torn. Torn for reasons that didn't make any sense at all. This all was so complecated... it had been so simple before. Why was she thinking so much now? It wasn't like her, and she hated it. But she knew that things were going to change. She just wanted it to be quiet... just a little longer.

Giving up, Gohan turned to face her and with as much effort as he could muster his voice cracked out a greeting. "H-hey Videl."

Gulping, Videl let his voice echo in her head. It sounded raspy, like it hadn't been used in a long time. It hadn't... of course, but it was real. Just like she remembered. He had the same stupid smile too... nervous, but happy to be there...

"You're... Gohan... you're...here."

Gohan's smile grew, but he still kept his distance. "Ya... sorry. I'm... sorry."

Sharpner gestured towards Erasa. "We'll give you guys some... time. To talk 'n stuff. Good to see you Gohan."

Gohan gave a nod, breaking eye contact with Videl only for a moment. Erasa nodded as well, glancing back at the small boy at Gohan's heals. "Come on Goten... let's let them talk."

"But!... o-okay..." Goten slouched, quietly moving towards Erasa. The girl picked up the rather heavy kid and glanced back at the two before walking out of the room, Sharpner shutting the door behind him.

Another awkward silence filled the room. Neither knew what to say, or how to say it. Both wanted to say something, to rush over... but for one reason or another they couldn't bring themselves to move. They would see the other move forward, finding themselves caught on their tip toes, but a flash of fear would pulse through their stomach causing them to reil back. A force neither could understand was at work. One they could both feal, and that the slightest peep would shatter unfixable. But even so, the growing silence was also grinding away at them. The longer they just looked, the more they just wanted to forget their troubles or to at least get it over with. Their minds were racing, and they needed to release the tention, no matter what.

"I'm... it's so good to see you Videl... I..."

"Are you... really here Gohan?... is... am I dreaming...again?..."

Gohan bit down on the inside of his cheek. He knew it would be like this. He knew it... but it hurt so much to actually see her like this... infront of him.

"It's me."

Silence... again with the silence. It was tormenting the two, who hadn't the slightest idea what to do to make it end. Gohan's stomach, of all things, finally figured it out when it rumbled for food. The two blinked, looking down at his chest which was reaching the end of it's rope.

"P-phhahahahaha!"

"Hahahahahahhaa!"

The two broke down laughing, uncontrollably. They continued to laugh for minutes on end, their sides hurting, and tears rolling down their faces.

Finally though, the two settled down after both sitting on the floor to make sure they didn't fall over. Videl smiled, truthfully for probably the first time since this all started. "Hungry?"

"Ya..." admitted Gohan, blushing as he looked down. "I rushed over here once I woke up, even though mom just wanted me to stay so she could cook for me again..."

Videl sighed, sitting up straight as she prepared to say... well, what she had been thinking. "Look... Gohan... we should talk."

Gohan fallowed suit, slightly surprised at the turn of the mood. "Yes?"

"Well... when you were... out of it... I came to realize something. You're a great guy... and you deserve someone... who is... well, ready to wait for you no matter how many times you go off to save the world..."

A lump forced it's way into Gohan's throat. Not this... of all things, he really didn't want to hear what he thought he was about to. "...Videl?"

"I want you to know I didn't cheat on you or anything!"

"Of course not! I never!... I never..."

"But... I don't know what I should be doing... I hate being this weak. It's ripping me apart inside... I don't think I am the person... to wait for you after you go save the world... I was so scared Gohan...I didn't know what to do... so... and we're just kids so... could we, you know. Just be... friends for now?"

Gohan just looked at Videl for a time. Slowly his head drifted down, along with his stomach. She... well, was right to think this way. He wasn't sure why he had been so hopeful as to how this would turn out... but he had never thought...

"N-no. I... I understand. I've only been stupid... and I keep getting hurt and worrying you. You're... r-right to think like this. I'm... I'm sorry."

Slowly, Gohan stood up and walked towards the balcony. He turned back, even though he didn't want to. Videl was crying again. This... it was for the best. He didn't want to hurt her anymore... he couldn't bare the thought...

Turning back, he glanced towards Vegeta, hovering in the sky above the mansion.

"Could... you take Goten home?"

"Just so long as you head straight back to Capsule Corp."

"Right..."

And so Gohan took off, a burst of air following behind him rattling the room he left behind. He was moving a little fast, faster than he needed to go but he couldn't tell. The tears in his eyes were blurring his senses, when had they gotten there? He hadn't noticed them before... but they burned like they had been waiting behind his eyes just to burst forth. His heart was sinking, and his body was visibly shaking as he tried to keep himself together. It felt wrong... it all felt wrong, but his senses were numbing. A cold chill crept down along with the streams of tears... and everything seemed to be going so slow... so painfully slow...


	23. A World So Gray

To be fair, it was _you_ guys who ask for more romance. Just trust me, the story will be better for it. Promise.

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 23 – A World So Gray

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That is what they say, after all. Yet no matter which way Gohan looked at it, there was no way this situation could possibly be made into a good thing. They had failed to protect a whole planet's worth of people from some space _thing_ which called itself the Casket. He had been out for four whole months after the fight, missing half of his senior year of highschool. As it turns out fate really did have it in for him, and that Casket thing is coming and his future self left it up to him to figure out how to stop it. Videl just wants to be friends. And to top it all off... he has a chunk of space monster still inside him.

Oh, and he had lost his left arm too. Gohan sighed, looking over at where it was suppose to be. Out of all his troubles, that was the one that he tended to forget about the most only to get the pleasure of remembering later on when he would need it.

At the very least Gohan wished Bulma would give him something to do. A TV just didn't interest him. There never was anything on, even with all the channels Bulma got. And his mother was so far into her pregnancy that she didn't even feel like giving him homework! To think. That sure wasn't how it had gone when Goten was being born At least homework would be something to do!

Just sitting in this white, clean, hospital-esk room for day's on end was enough to drive a person mad. It was like his prison cell. But knowing the world would be in danger... that Videl would be in danger and he wasn't even allowed to do warmup exercises? Each day it felt like the pressure was slowly... painfully increasing till something gave or snapped.

Gohan leaned back, collapsing on the bed. The lights above him were strong, but he failed to notice them as his mind continued to wander. Missing Dragonballs... the Holy Purifying Water not working on him... things really seemed hopeless.

Beyond the one way window, Bulma sighed. With the state she was in, she was all but helpless. A feeling she thought she had gotten used to long ago. But Gohan had always seemed to pull through these things only stronger. He was one of the few people of their group who hadn't died yet, and that was even with him constantly being right in the middle of everything. But now he was battered, wounded, and emotionally scarred, and she couldn't even enter the same room as him.

Bulma nearly jumped when the door behind her slid open. In the doorway stood... Goku? No... the eyes were different. "Bar...dock?"

Bardock blinked the blood out of his eyes, leaning against the doorway. "Where are you medical supplies?"

"My god, what happened to you?" Quickly Bulma moved to the cabinet across the room, opening to get the bandages from inside. "You look horrible!"

Bardock sat down on a chair, blinking as he watched a robot follow behind him cleaning the trail of blood drops. "Training... with Kakarrot and the Prince...gah, damn. They're both so much stronger than me..."

"Vegeta did this to you? Why, that idiot! I'll make sure to talk to him, don't you worry."

Bardock quickly waved his hands infront of him, wincing slightly in pain. "No! I... I mean, no thank you Princess. It's an honor just to be able to train with him."

"Princess? Well, it _is_ about time one of you saiyans payed me some respect!"

Bardock watch curiously as Bulma's ego grew before him. It was almost like he could see it physically growing. Taking the bandages from the all to happy Bulma, he started to wrap his wounds. Nothing to serious. Cuts and bruises, only things that would make him stronger. But those two... he knew how strong they were now. He had watched them fight quite a few times before, but to actually fight against them, to have that power bearing down on him... it was both exhilarating and frightening all at the same time.

A smalls smile grew on the saiyan's lips. He wanted to get back there to start training with those two again. Even Trunks and Goten would prove good sparing partners. Those boys would grow up to be strong saiyans, he was sure of it.

If only Gohan could join them.

Bardock stood, making his way to the window into Gohan's room. Bulma finally was able to break away from her swelling ego, and walked to the saiyans side. "It's sad, isn't it."

Bardock stood silent. Sad wasn't the word he'd use. It was a shame, for sure. The boy definitely was a strong fighter, and seeing him wasting away didn't sit well with him.

Bulma sighed again. "But there isn't much we can do without the dragonballs. It'd be to dangerous..."

Bardock glanced over at the woman besides him. He had heard the story about these balls, and to be honest it sounded like they depended on those wishes to much. Then again, seeing royalty worrying about lowly fighters like him or Gohan was strange in that of itself. Turning back to the boy in question, he couldn't help but speak his mind, his eyes being drawing towards his own bandages.

"If only this planet had a healing pod."

"A what?"

"Oh... uh, forgive me Princess, I didn't mean to speak without-"

"For gods sakes man, just spit it out already! If there's a way to help Gohan, we need to use it!"

Bardock was taken back, his eyes wide as he was unsure how to explain it to this woman. Honestly, these earth women were strange. Saiyan women were strong, so you never felt bad about getting in a fist fight with them. But these women were weak, nearly powerless... but they had a will stronger than most of the Saiyan Royal Guard.

"W-Well, when we conquered the Truffles back on planet Vegeta, we made sure to reverse engineer their tech for our own needs. And one of those things was a healing pod. Along with our ability to get stronger after battle, it was pretty obvious that they would be useful for us."

"How did it work? Er, wait, you're just a fighter. Damn. I might have been able to build one if you knew how it worked..."

"F-forgive me Princess, but I do."

"You do! How?"

Bardock found himself fumbling for words, something very new to him. Why was this woman so intimidating? Was this why Prince Vegeta mated with her? "After the final battle, our King ordered all the lower-class saiyans into the Truffle cities to see if we could get their stuff working while the higher class fighters started establishing a plan for the planet. I just... happened upon a hospital. All I did was start pressing buttons here and there. I didn't really know what I was doing, no one did, but most of the intact tech had VI guidance. All we had to do was ask, and it did the rest."

Bardock gripped his hands into fists, continuing to explain to Bulma who seemed oddly interested in the tale. "Frieza came to us next... said he was impressed with our conquering of the Truffles. He agreed to help us get their space technology working if we swore to work for him. We always valued strength, so it seemed natural to us lower-class fighters to follow that monster... we even gave him some of the Truffle stuff as a show of good will, including the healing pod. They had me teach other races out to build those pods, since I had found it. I had... never felt so proud."

"Wow, so you were like, the first saiyan scientist?"

Bardock turned back to the Princess. "They called me that, I guess. Since I was lower class, I was just proud to help. Now I wish I hadn't... but I got a squad of my own as a reward. For someone from the family I was born into, such a thing was unheard of."

"You know, you're a lot smarter than Vegeta. These stories are something all right. Would you mind telling me some more? That idiot couldn't even help me try and build my scouter, and from the sound of it you might be able to help me rebuild more saiyan stuff that I can sell!"

"Y-Y-you honor me to much Princess. I'll help however I can."

"Alright!" Bulma shouted, fist pumping above her head. "Lets start on this healing pod of yours! If it can help Gohan, I'm all for it."

-DBZ-

Time was moving slow, to slow. Even as Gohan followed along with his father and Vegeta training against one another, he couldn't help but feel he should be out there too. His body felt like a wet noodle. What with the body switching an the four months out cold, his power felt lower than ever. And, strangely, that annoyed Gohan. He new very well that he couldn't... that he shouldn't train with that thing in him. It was... dangerous. Doing anything put the entire world at risk.

But...

It just wasn't right. Gohan just couldn't stand the thought of sitting there and watching as everyone else went off to fight.

"_But... I don't know what I should be doing... I hate being this weak. It's ripping me apart inside... I don't think I'm the person... to wait for you after you go save the world... I was so scared Gohan... I didn't know what to do... so... and we're just kids so... could we, you know. Just be... friends for now?"_

Gohan sighed, resting his arm over his eyes. Was this what Videl had been going through? It was... horrible. To say the least. The truth just zapped what energy he had. Videl... this was killing him so slowly inside. It was painful. After all they had been through... why did it have to end like this? Was there... really nothing he could do?

Gohan smiled softly, recalling how they met. Outside that bank, after he had stopped the robbers. She had yelled at him, scaring him nearly out of his shoes. Then she started to hardball him, trying to figure out his secrets. She always was to smart for her own good.

Heh, he nearly blew it during the dinosaur fiasco. To think he almost said his name right infront of her. Gohan couldn't help but blush. That day, he and her had wound up in quite a few odd positions as she tried to fight him, and that girl never even noticed.

And then all that with the Red Rain, remnants from Red Ribbon and Videl getting so hurt. He had brushed it off at the time, once he got her back at least. But he had been so worried and hurt and upset about everything. That was how Videl had been feeling, but she was smart enough to realize it wouldn't be the last time such a thing would happen to them. Damn it! Why did all these monsters always come for earth! Couldn't they just leave him alone?

Darkon came next. That was an ordeal and a half, to be sure. Gohan glanced to his missing left arm. Darkon. That crazy idiot, maybe Gohan was wrong in trying to fight Darkon. It had become his reaction to danger cause of his childhood, but maybe he should have tried talking. Maybe Darkon could have changed... like Vegeta.

The Tournament... that had been... amazing. For the first time ever, as far as Gohan was concerned, everyone had just fought for fun. It was great. No threat to the world. No danger. It was... fun. Having to say goodbye to his father was hard... but it was great to see him again. Goten got to meet his father, which was a very good thing. If only that peace could have lasted...

The Library brought Darkon back... damn it... maybe he really should have tried talking with Darkon. Gohan couldn't remember any of the memories Darkon force-fed him from hell, but he knew they were horrifying. But at that point... there wasn't much that could be done. Videl and himself even got their powers fully unlocked. It was crazy, being so powerful. Especially compared to now...

Ginyu... it all started with that frog. Everything would have been different if that stupid frog hadn't switched with Videl. They wouldn't have gotten all switched up, and they might have been able to beat Broly before the Casket got there. Darn it...

But there was no undoing it now. Now without stealing the time machine, but even then that would only fix that time line. And if what his future counterpart said is true... it wouldn't matter. Eventually the Casket would come, with or without Gohan.

Gohan suddenly felt a lot like Gray. Sad. Beaten. Depressed. Honestly, it was horrible how down he felt. Just... everything had happened so fast. One day he had been training Videl... the next he had k-k-kissed her... and the next she was telling him she couldn't be the one to wait for him while he was off saving the world... like he could save the world in this state! Growing, Gohan slammed his fist into the bed under him, the springs groaning under the pressure.

Gray... what had he said? Never let her go? Well... what if she was the one who wanted to end things? What should he do then?

And there Gohan went again. Wanting others to give him the answers, he wanted them to help him. He new very well this was something he would have to do by himself... but would it really be that bad of a thing to lean on others? Just for a little help? The teen stood up, making his way towards the door to his room, his cell.

To hell with everything! Enough of this, he couldn't just sit there. Nothing would happen! He knew that much. Honestly, he was scared. Still down, but... damn it! Gray had told him to never let go. For all of Gohan's life, he had never been selfish. When the saiyans were coming, Gohan trained with Piccolo. When some of the fighters died, Gohan was ready to go to Namek, and he even fought Frieza. And when Trunks warned them of the androids, Gohan had pleaded to train. But this... this was for himself. He wanted to be selfish, just this once. Even if Videl didn't want to be with him... he'd... well, make her!

The door opened, and he found his father and Vegeta looking at him warily. The fighters both looked beyond tired and beaten, and were in serious need of some bandages. Forgetting about their wounds however, both were surprised seeing the young boy marching so calmly... it almost was like another person was in control what with Gohan looking so sure of himself. And with that thing still inside him, they had to wonder.

Gohan, however, was feeling rather strange himself. Maybe the Casket was messing with him somehow. Maybe he had just finally snapped after being in that room for so long. But darn it, Gohan wanted Videl, badly. He needed her, and he couldn't take this sitting down anymore! Everyone had already taught him so much. Piccolo taught him how to fight, how to be strong. Krillin taught him how to laugh, even at the bad jokes, cause life was just way to short. Tien and Yamcha taught him how to keep fighting, even if it looked hopeless. Vegeta taught him that people can change. And even Gray had taught him to stand firm for what matters.

Gohan smiled confidently, for the first time in a long time. "I'm going back to school."

And if his father taught him anything, it was that when life gives you lemons – eat them all in the blink of an eye and then smile to whoever gave them to ya.


	24. His Dreams  Our Nightmare

Thanks for playing the waiting game with me!

* * *

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 24 – His Dreams/Our Nightmare

"And so, P-Prince Gohan will be allowed, due to extenuating circumstances, one aid with the principal's blessing. Any students who don't feel comfortable... may bring their concerns to the front office..."

Vegeta shot his eyes up towards the students. Unblinking, dressed in his ever classic blue spandex, he silenced the entire class with one quick glance of his eyes. The poor students couldn't help but feel the killing intent coming from the saiyan who obviously did not what to be there, and two of them even wet themselves.

Peer pressure was nothing compared to that.

There also would never be a hole big enough for Gohan to hide in where he wouldn't feel embarrassed.

All his hard work to hide his identity. All those days where he thought he actually could pull it off. It all was undone within five seconds. Any average teenager would be embarrassed with the current setup, what with being down one arm and needing help in everyday life now, but of-course Gohan was anything but average. Dropping quite a few bombs on the class would have been an understatement. Everyone had been told he was just sick, and with him being so quiet most people had forgotten his existence nearly all together. But now the story had to change. Prince Gohan had lost his arm in a "terrorist" attack on the Ox Kingdom.

It was all just so they could get one of the fighters into the school to watch him up close. Anything less and they would have told Gohan just to get by with his one arm, what with no adults allowed in school save the teachers and other staff members. But with part of the Casket still in him, they needed a fighter up close just in case.

Of course, Vegeta had been one hundred percent against the idea. He still wanted to kill Gohan for that matter and wish him back later, and this was just asking for trouble in his eyes. What was worse was that Gohan had to admit, this wasn't one of his smarter ideas. It took a lot for Piccolo to go against his wishes, so when the Namek agreed with Vegeta over himself it was a small blow for the teen. It had taken a lot of convincing and promising to get himself into this classroom, almost so much that Gohan was wondering if this really was the best idea. This just ... was something he had to do.

So Gohan would deal with Vegeta, for now. It's not like he could do that much more damage...well, even if he could, it wasn't all that important anymore. All that mattered now was the girl two seats down with the short black hair and blue eyes.

Sadly, winning her back was easier said than done.

"So this is a human school."

It took a second for Gohan to register that Vegeta had asked him a question. Could it be that he was actually interested? Gohan had figured the Prince had volunteered only to make sure the person guarding him would be ready to finish him if need be. "Well, ya. It is. Do you … want a book so you can follow along?"

"Ha!" Vegeta couldn't help but burst out at the idea. Even as they walked up to their seats, Gohan's old one with a chair just to the side in the walkway for Vegeta, the saiyan couldn't help but make fun of such a thought. "Boy, you humans are very boring compared that that of life in space. I've erased countless planets full of races much more advanced than this. Anything I could learn here would be kindergarten stuff out there."

"Yes, well, you don't have to tell them that. Please. Don't."

Gohan let a sigh go as they sat down, the students already whispering to one wondering if the strange man really meant space. Already one secret out and the day hadn't even started yet. This … was going to be bad.

Even so, Konkichi walked in none the less to start that days history lesson. Gohan couldn't help but feel a tinge of fear when the fox caught sight of Vegeta and let an all to big grin grow across his face. "Well, Gohan. Nice of you to join us again."

"N-Nice to be back sir."

"Heh, I'm sure it is." Konkichi's eyes glanced towards Vegeta, the smile growing a bit more before the fox turned to face the chalkboard. "Well, you're friends with Videl, correct? She takes good notes. Videl, could you help him get caught up?"

Videl stuttered, unsure as to how to proceed. She had asked Gohan if they could just be friends … but it wasn't that easy. Erasa, taking notice of her good friends hesitation and already having been told about the … "situation" … quickly shot her hand up. "Um, Mr Star? Wouldn't it be easier if I just showed Gohan my notes? I do sit right next to him."

"Wait … you take notes?"

All the students minds were taken off of Vegeta as they chuckled at their teachers joke. Even Sharpner couldn't help but chuckle as the blond sat back down, pouting all the while.

Konkichi eventually waved his hand down so the class would stop their laughter, and he quickly turned his attention back to Videl. "So, could you show him your notes Videl? For me?"

Videl was at a loss. She didn't have any real reason, or at least one she could admit out-loud infront of the class to a teacher, to say no. And … Gohan was her friend, right? "All … alright, I'll show him my notes after school."

Konkichi smiled. "Thank you Videl." Turning to Gohan, the green fox quickly shot a wink and a thumbs up to the teen before returning to the board. Gohan's face was red with embarrassment, but he couldn't help but smile as he silently thanked the teacher. Not only did he get everyone's attention away from Vegeta, but he gave him a reason to be alone with Videl later!

This fox was a genius!

"All right everyone, open your books to 300. Today we'll be covering the battle of Thermopylae."

-DBZ-

The day went quickly enough, even though Vegeta continued to speak his mind whenever he felt like. Gohan was pretty sure it was the saiyans way of getting back at him for doing this whole school thing with part of the Casket still inside him, but that wasn't important. Now it was time for some private time with Videl. Maybe if he was lucky, he could get her to go somewhere with him! Like … shopping at the mall or something. A guy and a girl who are just friends can do that … right? Maybe? Probably not?

He sighed, coming to terms with the fact that he was completely in the dark on this one. Glancing over at Vegeta, he found the prince sitting right next to him just as closely as he had at the beginning of the day. "Hey Vegeta … how did you and Bulma get together?"

Vegeta shot Gohan a questioning look at first, but it quickly turned to his prideful smile as he boasted. "One day after training for the androids, the woman came onto me again. Something about a new hair style or shoes or something if I remember right. I told her to either get lost or go through with her words because I had to train. And then Trunks was born."

Gohan's hand found his forehead. What had he expected? Something that would actually help him with real romantic stuff? This was Vegeta. Honestly, he was a little embarrassed at himself for even asking. Moment of weakness, had to be a moment of weakness.

The door to the library opening caught Gohan's attention. His heart skipped a beat when the noise reached his ears, but his gut sank when he turned to find Erasa walking towards him and not Videl. Still, he stood to greet her.

"Hey … Erasa."

"What, a pretty blond not your type? I didn't have to come you know."

"Right right, I'm sorry Erasa. I didn't mean it like that. I just … she really didn't want to see me that much?"

Erasa sighed, honestly these two just were to much work for their own good. "Relax Gohan, I volunteered to bring you the notes. Videl was on her way when I gave her an out."

"Wait … why would you … I mean, I'm happy to get the notes, I'm way behind my studying, but of all people I thought you'd be the one trying to get Videl to date me."

Erasa leaned back, crossing her arms as she cocked an eyebrow up questioningly. Gohan's face instantly blushed red, his hand going to scratch behind his head, as he began to bumble for words. "I mean, not that you're manipulative like that! No … I didn't, look, you just come off as the type … uh … the type to … you know..."

"No. I don't."

"Erm … well, uh … c-could I get those notes? … Please?"

Erasa couldn't help but smile. Gohan definitely made an amusing play thing. "Here. And I meant it when I say relax. Girls like Videl get confused, especially since you happen to be her first."

"First? Where'd you hear that! I did, there is no way – that never happened between us. I don't know what Videl told you, but we're like this because I always go off to save the world! I never did … _that_ … to her."

All Erasa could do was blink, confused at Gohan's sudden outburst. Her eyes glanced down, rethinking her words, until it finally clicked. She couldn't stop herself from laughing. And, much to Gohan's dismay, she continued to laugh for quite a while.

"You thought I meant, AAHHAHAAHAH! That's... oh god, my sides! AHAHHAHAAAH! Gohan, you are adorable. Truly ADORABLE! AHAHAAAHAAAH!"

Gohan could only look at his shoes. Even Vegeta let a snicker slide from behind him. Red faced, the poor teen took the notes and returned to his backpack on the table. If there ever was a time for a villain to try and take their revenge, now would be that time.

Vegeta, as amusing as the altercation between the young female and Gohan had been for him, brought his full attention to the notes his saiyan junior was putting into his sack. Three hundred Spartans? Battle at Thermopylae? It … it couldn't be.

-DBZ-

Videl glanced out her window to the full moon outside. It reminded her of when Gohan had transformed. Not the best memory, but it was one she cherished. It was the moment her life really changed, for good. Meeting Gohan had been an event, to be sure. But everything that followed had been within her realm of expectations. Sure, it was strange that a guy could fly, and use energy. Yet that, for some reason or another, made sense to her.

Fighting made sense to her. That probably was why. Up until then, all meeting Gohan had done was increase her strength. If the bad guys of Satan City had been having trouble with her before, she was enough to scare them shitless now. Even after the whole body-changing nonsense and her losing her sync because of it. She could still fly and lift small cars, and that was enough to keep the streets safe.

Now she had a whole new problem with Gohan. She was a fighter, but she also was a girl. The idea that she would rather have been born a guy had crossed her mind once or twice, when she was younger. And, those thoughts always passed. Not this time though. She had to chuckle when she thought about what Gohan was thinking. Probably food, or studying or something. And yet here she was, completely and utterly at a loss.

-DBZ-

Gohan hated to admit it, as in he loathed having to admit it, but he was at a loss.

Quite waters run deep, or something like that. Gohan wasn't like Vegeta or his father, but he hated losing as much as the next guy. At least, he hoped he was at least that normal. But this was just out of his field of experience. Super villain? Gohan knew how to handle that. Girls?

They made no sense!

Glancing over, he found Goten sleeping oh so soundly. Lucky little devil. With all this worrying about Videl, and school, and Videl – Gohan really hadn't been able to get much sleep. And to be fair, it never was easy to fall asleep in a pillow fort. Especially one this big.

Groaning, Gohan let a forearm rest over his eyes, once again trying to quiet his mind so he could get some sleep.

"..."

-DBZ-

"...ak up...wa...wake...up...wake up...WAKE UP DAMN IT!"

"Wha?" Darkness surrounded Gohan as he was pulled from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes, but the darkness was still there even after when he reopened them. "Where … what's …?"

Turning behind him, he found three balls of light. He knew where he was. He was here, again. But it was different, somehow. The white and black balls of his energy were so much smaller than they used to be, and the brown one, while it had always been larger, was absolutely massive now.

Turning back, he found himself looking at a mirror image of himself. Or, at least he thought it was him. The hair was different, and the face was scared, but most of all the eyes. It was like looking into the eyes of Vegeta, or his father when he was angry.

It was … scary.

"Get up."

Gohan couldn't help but do as he was told. It took but a moment for him to be on his feet, ready and at attention. His future version walked past him, looking at the three orbs of energy floating in the vast blackness.

"This won't do. You're to weak."

"Switching bodies broke my sync. I'm going to be weak for a while. It's not like I can train with that in me."

Gohan pointed towards the three orbs, where a black spike stood from the ground and penetrated the brown ball. The Casket. Anything could happen if Gohan tried to tap into his hidden potential. Nothing could happen, or that spike could go wild again. It was to risky, especially if Gohan wanted to go to school.

"You have to train. We can't let what happened in my time-line happen in yours."

Gohan finally found his courage. This was his body and his life, he was at least going to have a say in it now. "You don't … you don't know that for sure. The only reason I lost my arm is because _you_ found it necessary."

"This is not optional. If you don't fight, they WILL die."

"No, if what you say is right – they'll all die anyway! If what you said is right, we'll all die save Trunks. I won't make a difference, like always."

"Damn it, don't talk like that! Like you've already lost or something. Do you know how many times I wanted to do that? But I couldn't, because the world needed me, like it needs you!"

Gohan turned away, a strange sense of resentment and anger welling up inside his chest. "Look, you should understand it best. I never asked to be … saiyan. When the day comes when the Casket gets here, you can bet on me being there, ready to fight. But I am Gohan. Not Goku. Not Vegeta. Not Krillin. Not Yamcha or Tien. And I'm not Piccolo. I am ME. And I … I don't like to fight."

"..." His future version was quiet for a time. Gohan turned, his back to his hidden potential. It was quiet, but his future version walked up behind him putting his hand on Gohan's shoulder.

"The last time I thought things like that, I was just a kid..."

"So..." glancing back, Gohan found his future version actually look understanding. "You understand?"

It was only for a moment however, and just as quickly as they had softened, Mirai Gohan's eyes hardened. "No. I grew up."

The hand moved from Gohan's shoulder to the back of his head. Suddenly flashes, memories bombarded his mind. They were … gods, they were horrible. A world, his world, in ruin. Barely any standing buildings left. People living in bunkers, not knowing if today would be their last. The Androids … destroyed everything. Gohan had heard the stories, hell, he even faced Cell. But this … this was different. His fight with Cell wasn't drawn out over years, just one day. So many people died … and with no way to bring them back! Hopeless, blood stained hopelessness! It was … it was!

Gohan gasped for air as he fell to the ground, Mirai Gohan releasing him. "Don't lie to me. I know you best, like you said. You love to fight, the thrill of beating your enemies to a pulp. They hurt you, your friends, so why shouldn't you do the same to them? Cause you feel bad? Yes, I did think like you once, but I grew up. And with the Casket coming, you need to do the same. So … what will you do? Sob here on the ground, complaining about how the world isn't fair. Or are you going to stand up and kick ass with the powers billions of people around the world wished they had!"

He couldn't help himself. Tears started to flow out of his eyes as Gohan's mind became his own once again. That was … beyond horrible. He couldn't remember the memories from hell, but he knew this was so much worse. It was … personal. He felt responsible. All that death … was his fault. No, no it wasn't! He hadn't been there, his future version was! Right?

"I don't know! Okay? I … I don't know …! I just … " He just wanted to get Videl back, and go from there. But, strangely, he couldn't say it. Like … a part of him disagreed. He just wasn't sure anymore. Of anything.

"Then we'll change that. Like it or not, you have power, just like me. We'll do this, every night, until you're strong enough to fight again."

"Every night? Are you insane! There's no way I'd agree to that, those memory flashes...!"

Mirai Gohan stood infront of Gohan, the orbs of energy behind him casting a deathly shadow over his face, as a smirk grew. "Then stop me."

* * *

AA:

So, Mirai Gohan makes his return. A hard-ass to be sure. His goal? To make sure Gohan is ready for when the Casket gets there, like it or not. Now, Mirai Gohan doesn't really get much screen time, about as much as Bardock, so I hope everyone finds him in character. Gohan felt really weird to me standing next to his future self. More wimpy and noodle-ly than normal. Maybe it was just me? Or maybe cause he just took charge last episode. Videl did kinda friendzone him though. It'll pass though. We're kinda poking Gohan's weakpoint right now, so he's gonna come off kinda squishy. He'll get bad-ass, I promise. It's just a work in progress.

Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. It's just, this final saga needs a lot of planning, and well, I'm kinda lazy. If it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure Bob the Spy will make his return next chapter!

PS: Borra ftw!


	25. Bob the Spy

If you've been paying attention, you'd know a few things about our friend Bob the Spy. One? He infiltrated police HQ back in the first story as a rookie cop using a mustache to hide his true face. Two? He may or may not have been involved with keeping an eye on the ever renown Videl Satan for the World Government. He was also involved with the Saiyaman movie. Why though? Well, since I've been giving you loyal readers nothing but more questions to ask lately, I figured I could give you at least one answer.

And, possibly, if you pay attention you may learn even more. Enjoy!

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 25 – Bob the Spy

Videl dusted her hands off, glaring down at the criminals laying at her feet. Another day, another couple of idiots. Sighing, she walked towards the Chief to give her report. It was pretty obvious the Chief wasn't really paying attention to Videl as she was talking. The guy had always been perceptive, he could tell something was off with her. So it didn't surprise her when he cut her off.

"Videl. Why don't you take the rest of the day off? You did good here, we can handle the rest."

Videl's eyes turned to a glare, she really didn't need this now. Keeping busy was all she _could_ do now. "I got my homework done for the weekend already Chief. I'd just be sitting at home doing nothing."

"Couldn't you call some friends? Go watch a movie or something? I'm sure you have plenty of people you could call. Girls..." The Chief knew the next word was a landmine, but still. This time, he'd step on it if it was the only way to get Videl to talk. "A boy..."

Videl's eye's instantly narrowed, but they weren't so much a glare anymore. Sadness and worked it's way into the corners. "No. I … no."

The Chief could only sigh. There was no use pushing it, not today at least. "Alright Videl, you win. But please, just take the rest of the day off. You nearly put these poor fools into the hospital for an extended stay."

"They had it coming sir."

"I'm not saying they didn't, but I am saying this isn't like you. I need my officers to have cool straight heads and you just don't have that right now. So, Videl, please."

"...fine. I'll go."

"Thank you."

The two parted without another word. Videl had to admit she was mentally tired. She wouldn't admit she had gone to far against the crooks back their, but she could admit the Chief was right. She was no good like this. She needed a long hot bath to clear her head, or something.

It didn't take long to fly home. Her powers weren't returning to her as easily as she remembered getting them, but she could still fly pretty fast. Or, at least, it felt fast to her. Everything from her muscles to her senses just felt out of tune with themselves, and nothing she did seemed to get everything back to the way they were. A groan escaped from her lips as she let herself fall onto her bed.

Videl rested an arm over her eyes, silently trying to keep her mind clear for at least a minute. If she could just get some real rest, maybe she'd feel better in the morning.

A knock on her door ruined any chance of that happening soon. A louder groan rumbled from Videl as she forced herself up and to the door. Upon opening it, she was surprised to see who it was.

"Wait, aren't you that pathetic spy guy that got caught by Trunks? What are you doing here! And why are you with my dad?"

Mr Satan rubbed the back of his neck, looking for the right words to say. "Well … they need our help. Your … help."

-DBZ-

Trunks sucked in as much air as his small lungs would let him. Training all day, every day, day after day was almost enough to make fighting not fun anymore. Almost. Right now, anyway, his body was ready for rest and everyone else was finally giving him some time to get it. They day was all but over, and everyone had gone back inside Capsule Corp to finish off everything before it was time for bed. Trunks knew he should probably be doing the same, being that he didn't exactly smell like a bed of roses, but the spot on the ground he found himself in was unbelievably comfortable.

He must have let himself drift off for only more than a few seconds when Trunks heard someone come crashing down to the ground not to far from him. Forcing his eyes open, the young saiyan found himself looking at a familiar site.

Across the lawn, near the outer wall, sat Bob the Spy rubbing his backside after presumably scaling the wall and tripping over Trunks' toy car that had been laying there.

"Every single time … oh god, you're here already! Why is it that I fall apart as soon as I jump that wall!"

Trunks was up faster than he thought his body could move in it's current condition, flying over to Bob before crossing his arms.

"What are you doing here?"

Trunks locked his eyes on Bob, giving him a once over for good measure. Despite the spy's best efforts, he couldn't keep his knee's from shaking. The boy's innocent face did nothing to hide the evil intent radiating from his eyes. Still, Bob had a mission, and he wasn't one to fail. Gulping the fear down, he took a step towards the young Trunks and held his hand out.

"I ... need your assistance."

"And why should I help a scaredy cat?" shot Trunks, making poor Bob whimper as he stumbled backwards.

"Because! B-Because something big is happening ... listen, kid, even I don't know what's going on. Everyone from your mother here at Capsule Corp to the Ox King to Hercule Satan to King Furry is up to something and for some reason it's happening all at the same time. Maybe you know, but I'm not here for that. I just. Need. Your. Help."

Trunks had to admit, he was curious. Floating a little closer, keeping the pressure on. "Help with what?"

"I need a Dragon Radar. For what, I can't say, but I promise I'll give you the balls when I find them."

"Why should I trust you? We can't even find them anyway, so it wouldn't matter, but even now I wouldn't give you a radar. You're the bad guy, dummy."

"No no, listen! That last job? I was under cover, see? Working for Nail Industry was just a way to get into their ranks and look into their stuff! You honestly think that the police could justify raiding all of Nail Industry based on the ravings of one guy? I gave them actual solid evidence once they took me away!"

Trunks had to admit he was surprised. He never thought this guy had any backbone to speak of, but this story almost made it sound like all the time he was acting like an idiot he was in control. Trunks didn't really like that idea.. "Like I care. Why shouldn't I just do to you what I did last time?"

"W-W-Well, w-w-wouldn't you like t-to be a junior-"

"Junior?"

"Senior! Detective … a senior detective! Think about it! Wouldn't that be cool? Don't you kids like that sorta thing? Right? … Please? That Radar is the last thing I need, and you will get the Dragonballs from me once I find them!"

A grin slowly grew across Trunks' face. He wasn't sure if he could trust this guy. Infact, he knew he probably shouldn't. But the idea of being a real life spy ... "Do I get that badge of yours?"

"Kid, it's yours."

-DBZ-

Trunks strode proudly down the Capsule Corp halls, a shiny golden badge pinned to his gi. Bob just hoped the kid didn't take the time to notice it was just a normal police badge from his alibi down at Satan City HQ.

If a person were to see it, they definitely would have found the procession a big off. A small boy walking down the halls chest forward and head high followed by a fully grown man dressed in a long trench coat following behind while trying to be as small and quiet as possible. It was rather comical yet slightly worrisome all at the same time.

"...and so I told them I just couldn't fill that kind of order while improving on the original design. Not without you at least."

Both Trunks and Bob froze when they heard Dr Briefs' voice coming from around the next corner, and they began to flail around as it got closer and closer. Just as the Doctor rounded the bend with Android 18 at his side, Trunks took hold of Bob's hand and rushed them both behind a nearby door. The two pressed their ears to it, listening to see if they would pass by.

"I don't like the idea. Can't you just ask 17 to help you out?"

"Oh, I did! He said that he didn't want to either, something about..."

Bob sighed, letting himself slide against the wall to the floor. Trunks however was quick to keep moving. A good spy never stayed in one spot for to long of course. Afraid to be left behind, Bob quickly pushed himself back up and began to trail after the boy again. He was, however, cut short when the sight of something truly jaw dropping catching his eyes.

"Is that a … pillow fort?"

"Hurry up!" yelled Trunks, popping out from one of the walls of fluffy pillows and waving his hand to get Bob's attention. "We gotta cut through here to get to the kitchen. That's the quickest way to get to mom's lab."

"Ya … but, a pillow-?"

"Come on! We gotta go, I think someone's in here!"

Bob quickly shook himself back into his normal demeanor. Pillow fort or no, he needed that radar. The two sulked though the fort, always checking around every turn before continuing on. The walls of pillows and blankets dampened the sound, but they could still just make out a conversation in the main segment.

"So you guys are really leaving, huh?"

Tien and Yamcha gave a nod, leaving Krillin just scratching his head. "Weren't we gonna stay here till Bulma and Chi-Chi had their kids though?"

Tien folded his arms, looking at the ground with a small amount of disgust. "I've hit a plateau Krillin. We've been training since we got back from earth, but I just can't seem to push my power any higher."

"It's the same with me." grumbled Yamcha. "I have to go back out there, into the wilderness. Like old times. I don't know if anything will change, but I know staying here won't do anything."

Krillin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I wish you guys luck. I'll hold the fort here."

The three smiled, giving one another a nod before going their own separate ways.

On the other side of a pillow wall, Bob watched as Trunks moved a blanket to reveal a secret door. "What's this doing here?"

"It was Gohan's idea! A way to get in and out of this room for food without my mom knowing."

Bob could only shutter. For this kid to be scared of his parents … they must be monsters.

Dropping down into a crawl space, the two closed the door behind them before moving into the darkness. Bob could barely see his nose infront of his own face, but Trunks seemed to know the route by heart. It almost made one wonder how often he had to use this...

Stopping, Trunks pushed up on a tile above him and quietly set it to the side as he pulled himself up. Bob was quick to follow, lifting the tile back into place before the two continued on through the cafeteria. On the other side of the dinning hall a bandaged Vegeta and Goku were scarfing down as much food as the robot butlers could bring them.

"Kakarrot, you should know I'm going to be using the Gravity Room all day tomorrow. You're going to find somewhere else to train."

Goku choked down his last leg o' dinosaur, slapping his palm on the table once he could talk again. "What! How come Vegeta?"

"You and your son have been slowing me down to much. It's as simple as that. I need you out of my way if I'm going to get anything done."

Goku pouted slightly. quickly snatching up Vegeta's last jumbo shrimp and scarfing it down before crossing his arms, sporting a very smug look as he enjoyed the food.

"Ah! Kakarrot! I was saving that! What the hell!"

"That's what you get for trying to hog the Gravity Room for yourself!"

Vegeta's scowl deepened. Quickly the prince shot for Goku's last slice of pizza. Goku moved to defend, and the two quickly found themselves locked in yet another fight.

Trunks and Bob however had little interest in the fighters scuffle, instead choosing to continue on towards the lab. Bulma's lab was, for lack of better word, a mess. Half finished inventions were everywhere, and even more half finished ideas were on blueprints laying everywhere in the large room. On the far side was the only clearing, right where Bulma, Bardock, and Chi-Chi were standing.

"Honestly, I'm fine. I'm not helpless, just pregnant! We need to finish this so we can help Gohan."

"But Princess, I can't allow myself to watch this. Please, rest your body. We are far enough on that I can finish the prototype myself."

"Honestly Bulma, listen to him. I understand you want to help my Gohan, but I can't watch you work yourself to the bone! Just take a break, please?"

Bulma sighed, rubbing the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a trail of grease in it's place. "All … alright. You two win. I'll go lay down a bit … I'll be right back Bardock."

"As you wish."

The two women made their way towards the door, sending poor Trunks and Bob into yet another panic. Ducking behind a lab table, the two peaked around it's corner as the two made their exit. Bardock on the other hand turned his full attention to the healing pod he and Bulma had been working on. It was about half way finished already, but the hardest part was still to come. Getting the right mix of human/saiyan cells into the fluid so that it would match Gohan wouldn't be easy, especially since they had to grow the goo from scratch. Still, between this and training, it kept Bardock busy.

Oblivious to the other two in the room, Bardock continued to work on the machine as Trunks and Bob tiptoed over to Bulma's messiest table. Trucks popped his head up, glancing over the papers and tools that scattered the surface. But, strangely, there just wasn't any sign of the dragon radar. Scratching his head, the boy mulled over where it could have gotten to. His mother was always checking the thing to see if the Dragonballs would ever show up again. If they weren't on her desk, she probably had it on her.

Dropping back down the the ground, Trunks waved Bob to follow as he tiptoed back out of the room. Bob was quick to ask what was going on.

"Hey, kid? Where's the radar? You said it'd be in there!"

"Shhh! If it's not in there, my mom probably has it! Come on, let's follow them."

Through the hallways and large rooms of Capsule Corp did Chi-Chi and Bulma lead Trunks and Bob. The two mothers were never the wiser as they were being tailed, and finally they returned to Forlorn Hope the 2nd. Bulma and Chi-Chi rounded the bends that had been built to keep them out until they reached Goten and Gohan sitting on their bed.

Gohan looked bushed, with large dark circles under his eyes. Chi-Chi sat down next to her sons, rubbing Gohan's back. "Are you okay Gohan? You look sick almost."

"No no, it's okay mom. I'm fine." quickly assured Gohan. "I just haven't been able to get much sleep this past week is all. It's no big deal. I'll be back to one hundred percent with a good nights rest."

Bulma bit her lip, turning around as she pulled the dragon radar from her pocket. Bob and Trunks smirked when the finally caught sight of their prize, their attention fixating completely on Bulma. The inventor gave her radar a push of the button, a small green circle expanding out from the center of it's screen. But again, just like all the times before since this happened, the dragonballs never popped onto the screen. Frustrated with the piece of junk, she slammed it onto a night table near Gohan's bed as she walked over to the two boys. "Well, I'm off to bed. I suggest you two do the same, okay. Don't worry Gohan, I'll make sure we get you back into fighting shape."

Gohan forced a weak smile, his eyelids already drooping. "Thanks Bulma. Alright Squirt, ready for bed?"

Goten gave a tired nod, and the four slowly got up and went their ways to get ready for the night.

-DBZ-

Trunks and Bob sat down on the grass, huffing and puffing as they sucked in air. Bob was flabbergasted that a child could run so fast, and Trunks couldn't believe he had actually pulled all that off without getting caught. Having stole the radar while the others had been talking, Trunks stood up straight and held it out towards his spy counterpart.

"You promise you'll give the Dragonballs to Gohan when you find them?"

Bob stood up as well, stretching his legs before turning to the young boy. "As long as you guys make sure to save the world Kid."

Trunks and Bob exchanged the radar and a smile. "You know we will."

"Alright. Well, I better get going. Thanks again Kid."

And so Bob walked off, out of Capsule Corp property and into the night once again. Tipping his hat forward and popping his collar, the spy made his way down the allies of West City. The world was on the move, he could feel it happening. The world was in real danger this time, and he knew he had to be ready to play his roll. Everyone had to be.

Taking out a box of cigarets, Bob the Spy pulled one out and lit it, taking a nice long drag. Working with that little demon had been worth it. He had what he needed. Now he had the radar from Capsule Corp, the money from the movie deal, help from the police network, the Satan's willing to help his higher ups, and the tech from Nail Industries. It was time to go hunting.

Emperor Pilaf's days were numbered, Bob was going to make sure of it.


	26. Mirrors

Fact: Resistance's may disappear for a time, but they never die.

* * *

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 26 – Mirrors

"Get up."

Gohan pushed his face off the ground, coughing up spit as he tried to focus his vision. His future Mirai version loomed over him, his face just as serious as the day they met. Gohan gnawed his teeth together, nearly growling as he brought himself to his feet. They were in the darkness again, like last night, and the night before, and the night before that...

It was never ending.

"Aren't you done yet? We've been doing this for over a week."

"Are you saying you're ready for when the Casket gets here?"

Gohan fell to a knee, panting as his body gave out under the killing intent of Mirai. It was foreign, even though it was coming from his own face. It was as cold as Vegeta's, yet still as righteous as his fathers. Could he really look like that? Was such a thing even possible? … had he looked like that before?

Mirai knelt down infront of Gohan, grabbing a-hold of the teen's spiky black hair. "This is how we learn, just like how Piccolo taught us. You know it. I know it. The only way for us is to be forced to deal with it. So _**deal**_ with it."

Gohan yelled out as his hair was pulled up till he was forced to stand. Mirai released Gohan, letting the teen slowly fall down, making sure to pull back slowly before thrusting his fist into Gohan's chest, just below the ribcage. Gohan coughed out more saliva as his body hunched forward, gasping for air.

-DBZ-

Running, through twisted metal and concrete, running. A small boy, all alone, running. The two androids following behind had a game they liked to play. Adults were interesting to toy with, but children had a will to live unlike their older counterparts. Forcing a child to abandon his parents, his friends, everything. The look on his face, the light in his eyes, it was like tainting pure diamond.

And the look on his face when he knew it was all over, even after all that, and the only thing he had accomplished was being able to die alone?

Priceless.

-DBZ-

Gohan fell to the ground, one hand gripping his stomach while another tried to hold his head. It hurt, god it hurt. To see these things, over and over and over but not able to do a thing about it. It hurt so much...

Mirai stood tall, towering over Gohan. "While you may have more energy than me … my fists have more weight behind them. The weight of a world. By the time the Casket gets here … you, _Gohan_, will be the same as me."

Gohan pulled his right foot forward, stomping it into the ground as he stood. A shadow was cast across his face as the three energy orbs behind him began to ripple and shake. Gohan was tired. His mind was drawn out and his body was exhausted and beaten up. Yet .. there was a part of him that wanted to just beat the snot out of this Mirai guy. This was his body and his life, by all rights Mirai didn't even have anything to do with this timeline! If he was to get serious … a he meant really serious … this future version of him wouldn't even stand a chance!

Mirai Gohan on the other hand watched silently. They were making progress, at least this Gohan was getting mad at him now. For a second, Mirai's eyes glanced towards the three balls of energy behind Gohan, his fist tightening only the slightest of amounts.

"That's enough for tonight."

Gohan almost laughed at the thought. "Enough? Since when do you get to decide!"

-DBZ-

Gohan shot forward in his bed, his right arm reaching out for the nothingness infront of him. He let go of a long breath, stress leaving his chest along with the air. His right hand rubbed his eyes as he glanced over at his alarm clock. Six in the morning. Normally his mother would be up cooking now, but with them being at Capsule Corp and her being pregnant, she had been sleeping in more and more lately.

Shifting from under the covers, Gohan stood up and headed towards Vegeta's gravity room. Everyone seemed to be asleep still. It would make this easier on everyone if no one knew about where he was headed. Gohan just had to let off some steam, no matter how much the others didn't want him training. The gravity room was empty, and more importantly still intact after his father and the others had been training in it for so long. The scars the room had from those who had been inside training were everywhere, and it gave the room an odd sense of age and strength.

Turning up the gravity to a small twenty times earth's, Gohan walked in and headed towards the center. The last time Gohan really had gone through with gravity training was back when his father had taken him to train for Cell inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It had been where he had learned to go Super Saiyan for the first time. And now, he had to do the same thing again.

Sitting down in the center of the room, Gohan crossed his legs and began to meditate. Physical training still probably was pushing his luck, not that he wasn't doing that already, but mental training should be fine, right? It could help him fight against Mirai, or at the very least help him relax. Always after those dreams, he would feel so … angry. He had even snapped at his mother the other day when she asked him about Videl. She hadn't meant anything by it … well, maybe she did, but Gohan just couldn't believe that he actually got angry at her. If he could just get a good nights rest for once, maybe he'd stop being so frustrated with himself for one day.

An hour passed, and the gravity suddenly began to return back to normal, shaking Gohan out of his meditation. Turning around from his spot, Gohan found Vegeta entering through the doorway looking about as unhappy as ever.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Gohan just couldn't help but gulp a little. "Meditation. To train my mind, _not_ my body."

"Hmph." was Vegeta's reply. The Prince walked to the center of the room, giving Gohan a solid kick to his back. "Get out, I need to start training."

"Alright, alright! I'm going..." Gohan stumbled to his feet, albeit reluctantly, and headed towards the exit at no particular speed. He was surprised when Vegeta called out to him just before the door shut.

"And tell Kakarrot's woman I'm not a messenger, Brat!"

Gohan blinked at first, caught off guard at Vegeta's way with words. One he found himself he had to chuckle though, which somehow felt even more relaxing than all that meditation, and gave Vegeta a wave before continuing on towards his mother and breakfast.

-DBZ-

Krillin was Gohan's companion for school that day, which probably was about as mixed a blessing as it could be. Krillin would never do anything that would put Gohan in an awkward spot, Gohan knew that, but there would no doubt be teasing. Lots and lots of teasing.

He could put up with it though, he had larger fish to fry. Like that super sized fish sandwich his mother decided to make for him today. Man that looked good...

"Alright kids," started Konkichi, "I have someone I'd like to introduce. She-"

The boys of the class instantly roared out in a cheer of celebration. A few of them even got up and danced around a little, they were so happy. Most of the girls rolled their eyes, albeit somewhat from them being jealous it wasn't a guy. Gohan, however, was completely lost.

"Hey, Erasa, what's going on? What's up?"

"Didn't you hear Gohan?" questioned the blond, as if he was asking her how to breathe rather than what had the class in an uproar. "There's a new transfer student coming today!"

"Oh, really? Ya don't say. Guess that means I'm not the new guy anymore, huh?"

Sharpner smiled, leaning forward past Videl and Erasa so he could see Gohan on the other side. "Books, I don't think you'll ever be able to pass for anything other than 'new', and I'm being nice."

"Alright, alright! Settle down and take your seats already. She isn't even in the door yet. Anyway, she aced all her entrance exams with the second highest scores in school history. Better watch out Gohan, you might have some competition after all."

Gohan blinked curiously, wondering who this mystery girl could be. Videl, however, had a much different reaction. Groaning, she sank down into her chair. As if one genius wasn't enough, their class was getting another? With her luck, this one would turn out to be someone from a different dimension or something, where dinosaurs no longer exist and people pack their things in bags rather than capsules. Something crazy like that.

The worst part was that Videl really did have a bad feeling about this. Her gut was rarely wrong, and right now it was telling her that today was going to be very … very … long.

The door opened as Konkichi asked her to enter. She was tall, slender, and well enough endowed to render the male part of the class, and even a few of the females, into a comatose state. Her blue curly hair was all over, but a red ribbon covering her forehead did it's best to keep most of it out of her eyes.

"My name is Blast Shinhan, it's nice to meet all of you!"

Krillin nearly fell out of his chair. It was Tien's daughter, the one he had fought in the tournament! She had chosen this school to go to? But why?

Gohan leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better view of the girl. It had been a long time since he had seen her, back at the World Martial Art's Tournament. If he remembered correctly, she had been kept from society even more so than he had. He blinked, slightly confused when she looked up in his direction, her face turning red ever so slightly before she glanced away. Scratching his head, Gohan began to wonder if she was sick. And on her first day too.

Konkichi motioned for Blast to find a seat, and when she sat down in the second row he quickly began the lecture, making sure to not let the students begin to talk.

-DBZ-

"I heard this is the first time you've gone to a real school, is that true?"

"Want to join the Tea Club? We're looking for members!"

"How'd you get you're hair so blue?"

"Oh my god Kathy, you just can't ask why her hair's blue..."

"...why not?"

Blast smiled nervously as the last remark granted her a moment to breathe while the rest of the class composed itself post blond moment. Gohan sat silently as he watched Erasa and the others tried to learn as much as they could about the new student as they could. He was taken aback again when she glanced his way and blushed again. Her gaze left as quickly as it had come, but Gohan had noticed her flush red again. Was she really sick? Maybe he should offer to take her to the nurses office.

No, no, he couldn't do that. It was her first day, it wasn't his right to try and force her to leave already. Gohan groaned, rubbing his head. This sucked. Should he do the responsible thing to do and make sure she wasn't sick? Or should he leave her be knowing that this was her best chance to make some friends her own age, like he did when he first game here?

Gohan hadn't been the only one to notice Blast look this way, however. Videl had also seen the new blue haired girl glance towards them, quickly blush, and turn away. She could also tell that Sharpner had figured Blast had been blushing due to him, if his smug grin was any indication. But Videl knew that hadn't been were Blast was looking. It was more off to her left, more towards Gohan.

Videl's gut sank even more. This Blast girl, she was Tien Shinhan's daughter, right? Did she know Gohan somehow? Videl could have swore that the World Marital Art's Tournament had been the first time the two had met. And yet … her gut just wasn't sitting well with her. Maybe it just was something she ate, and it really wasn't fair to judge Blast before she got to know the girl.

And yet ….

Videl suddenly sat up straight, coming to another realization. Why did she care? Gohan and she weren't a thing anymore. Whatever thing they had been, she had ended it at just friends. So some girl she hardly knew looking at Gohan shouldn't bug her. Why was it bugging her!?

Groaning, Videl hunched forward as she scrambled her fingers through her short hair.

All the while, Krillin watched on with mild amusement. To be young again.

It wasn't till later in gym class that Gohan got the chance to talk with Blast. Krillin had obtained a deck of cards, and the two were deadlocked in a rather tense game of Old Maid while the other students played dodge ball. Blast was playing about as well as all the other girls, being that they mostly just stood in a pack towards the back of the court. But even so, she seemed to be fitting in well enough. The only strange thing about Blast seemed to be how much she tended to glance over towards where Gohan and Krillin were sitting.

"She must feel weird being in the same class with us. We are friends with her father." figured Gohan.

"I don't think that's it, Gohan." snickered Krillin. "With how red her face is getting, I think she's looking over here for another reason."

Gohan picked the second card on the left, sighing a little in relief when it wasn't the joker. "Ya think?"

"Ya, I'm pretty sure." Krillin smiled, giving his hand a shuffle as he glanced over what he had left. "Maybe you should go over and say hello?"

"Um … e-excuse me..."

Both Gohan and Krillin glanced up, finding none other than Blast standing over them. She looked rather nervous, with her hands cupped behind her back as her fingers tugged at her shirt.

Rather caught off guard, it took a few moments for the words to register for Gohan. "H-hello! It's nice to meet you again Blast."

The curly haired girl glanced over and smiled politely to Gohan before her gaze returned to her feet.

"It's good to m-meet both of you again as well..."

Across the court one of the girls who usually really got into playing dodge ball, rather than stand off to the side, Videl was far to focused on Blast to keep playing anymore. She was over by Gohan, talking to quietly to hear of course, but that only let her imagination run all the more wild. What was that blue haired girl doing over there? Were they friends after all? And why was she shifting around all shy like that, it was making Videl just as nervous!

Just as quickly as she came, however, Blast quickly gave a bow to the two boys and retreated away. Gohan had to admit he was slightly confused. Had she come all the way over here just to say hello?

"Told ya Gohan."

"Hmm? Told me what?"

Smirking all the more, Krillin just opted to pick up the next card. "You'll figure it out pretty soon, I think."

The day quickly passed without incident, albeit Krillin did take note that Gohan was about as oblivious as Goku when it came to eating manners. But when the final period of science rolled around, their teacher asked them to pair up in groups of two. Gohan had always disliked this part of class, as he really only knew a few people enough to be comfortable pairing up with them.

So when Blast came charging up to him, demanding in her soft voice that she wanted to be his partner, he was pretty much caught completely off guard.

"Please?" begged Blast.

Scratching the back of his head nervously, Gohan slowly gave a nod. "Y-ya … sure."

"Great, thanks a bunch!" Blast quickly moved to Gohan's side, making sure to keep her eyes deadlocked on the book infront of her. Krillin was about to burst out laughing himself, but the laugh got caught up in his throat when Videl off all people came over and sat next to Gohan.

"Uh … Videl?" squeaked Gohan. He was by no means upset Videl had decided to come over, this was the first time the two of them had really interacted since that night, but he couldn't help but feel a cold wave of fear rush down his back.

"With Blast we have an odd amount, so we need a group of three. Or is there a problem, _Gohan_?"

The force in Videl's voice was enough to get Gohan to sit up straight and quickly shake his head while mumbling "no ma'am". Blast didn't seem to care all to much, though. Rather, it was Erasa and Sharpner who were perplexed.

"I never thought I'd see that." spoke Erasa, rather shocked at Videl's boldness.

"Ya..." agreed Sharpner. "I mean, she could have just grouped up with u-U-us! Hey! Why'd ya hit me?"

"Shh! Be quiet Sharpner!"

And so … Gohan was forced to sit with Blast on one side and Videl on the other. The two were very focused on their books, but Gohan for the life of himself couldn't concentrate. How could he? With Blast there, almost all of the boys were giving him a rather disgusted look, and the glances Videl would send him every now and then probably could kill lesser men.

It was all very ... very uncomfortable. The bell didn't ring soon enough for Gohan, but he was thankful none the less when they finally did.

Blast and Videl just packed up, moving back to their desks without a word to him or each other. Gohan wasn't sure if that was better or worse, but either way it was time to make a hasty retreat back to Capsule Corp to regroup.

The halls were full of students, and Gohan was never good at maneuvering through so many people. Before Gohan could even make his way to the front door most everyone else had already gotten out the front gate. Krillin gave him a nudge to the side as the two of them made their way towards the front.

"Look at you. Two girls Gohan? What would your mother say?"

Blushing slightly red, Gohan scratched the back of his head. "Heh. It kinda scares me just to think about."

"E-excuse … Excuse me!"

The quickly growing familiar sound of Blast's soft voice trying to be as big as it could reached both Gohan and Krillin. Turning, they found the girl holding a pink envelope, with a white lace running along the boarders and a red heart sticker holding it shut.

Just outside the front gate, Videl peaked around the corner to try and see what was going on. She couldn't leave those two alone for a second! And was that a letter … was she confessing? Already!?

"Uh … G-Gohan?"

Blinking, Gohan gave the girl a nod. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Well … uh … ya see..."

Videl gulped. She wasn't even sure why she was still there. This had nothing to do with her, but she could feel herself moving around the corner to do something none the less. She didn't know why, but she _had_ to do _something_! Pushing her left foot into the ground, she took off around the corner.

"Could you please move over to the side?"

Videl promptly tripped over a rock, face planting into the paved sidewalk. Gohan however, simply did as asked. Moving to the side, he relieved one rather bewildered Krillin.

"Will you please ... please read this letter I wrote?!"

Blast quickly thrust her hands out, letter in tow. Her head was pointed down, her eyes shut tight as her entire body began to shake from just how nervous she was. Krillin glanced to his left, his right, and then to his left again before looking back to Blast while pointing to himself.

"Ya mean … that's for me?"

Blast could only nod, still far to shy to look up. "I heard about what you said to me at the Tournament … no one but my parents have ever said that to me before..."

Silence fell upon those who were left at the school. Videl still was unable to pick herself off the ground, and Gohan felt rather uncomfortable being where he was, but Krillin was probably the one who was in the most awkward position. No one was able to say anything for quite some time, till of course a small breeze kicked up a little dirt.

"Ah … ahh … acho!"

And with the snap of a fingers, Blast's hair turned to blond and her eyes to green. She looked up, finding herself in a rather strange situation. Her eyes were wide open, blinking only twice as the gears in her head started to turn and a red hue covered her entire face.

Finally, Gohan put two and two together. "Oh, I get it. Blast likes Krillin."

She quickly pulled an ak47 from nowhere and began shooting at everyone who was nearby. "W-W-What did you say!? You gots a death wish or somethin!? DIIIIEEE!"

Gohan and Krillin began dodge the bullets, dancing around the objects as to avoid the sting the bullets would have on them. Videl quickly sprinted out, hiding just around the corner as Gohan and Krillin shot past., still dodging the bullets as they made their way down the street.

Blast stopped just as she two exited the gate. "If yous want to live, don't let me ever hear about dis again! Ya hear!?"

Videl sighed in relief, glad to be safe and on her way home. Honestly, she never should have worried in the first place, and she grumbled at her self as she started the long walk home.

Krillin and Gohan however didn't stop running till they were a few blocks down an had cut through more than one ally way to make sure they were safe. The two put their hands on their knees, trying to suck in as much air as they could. Even super strong beings like them got winded when that kinda fear was pumped through their system.

Krillin was the first to find his voice, though he gave Gohan a good whack on the top of his head first. "Why would you say that Gohan?! Jeez, you're as bad as your fa..."

Krillin stopped when he noticed Gohan's gaze locked on something. Following it down, Krillin found none other than Blast's love letter in his hand.

"**...waaAAAAHHH!"**

"Why do you have that Krillin!? Are you crazy?"

"I … I don't know! I swear I don't even remember grabbing it!"

"...well … are you going to read it?"

Krillin stood there thinking about it for a while. Curiosity won the day, rather quickly too, but he made sure to turn his back to Gohan before ripping it open. Gohan leaned over the short monks shoulder so he could read it too, not wanting to be left out.

"Dear Krillin.

I'd like to thank you for what you said to me at the tournament. I wasn't very confident with myself, and I was taking it out on my parents. Thanks to you, now I feel a lot better and my parents are even letting me go to a public school! I really hope I make a lot of friends there, hopefully starting with you!

Your Friend,

Blast."

"Well I'm confused..." muttered Gohan, a little upset that he wasn't right about Blast liking Krillin.

Krillin however, was feeling something much more complicated. He was happy it wasn't anything serious he'd have to talk to Tien about … but even so, he could feel a small part of his pride slowly being crushed.

"Did I … just get friend-zoned?"

-DBZ-

Gohan opened his eyes finding himself in the last place he wanted to be. His three orbs of energy circling around along with the black spike of the Casket inside the black void that surrounded everything. It was this place again. His body groaned from just the site of it. He had figured he would be back here again that night, but he was ever hopeful that he'd at least get one day off. Maybe the next night.

Gohan noticed something out of place, after looking around some more. His future counterpart was nowhere to be seen. Usually he was right in Gohan's face from the word go, but today seemed to be different.

"Uh... hello?"

Gohan's voice echoed through the black, but nothing answered back to him. Scratching the back of his head, unsure as to what to do, he called out again.

"Hello? Anyone here? Anybody?"

Again, nothing returned his call. Confused, Gohan wandered towards his energy orbs. They seemed calm now, even though the brown one in the center seemed much larger, or more likely was that the two circling around were just smaller. Having his soul play musical chairs with bodies really had hurt him. Gohan had to wonder if he could even go super at this point, though he knew better than to try it. Curious, his hand reached out to touch the white orb as it lazily floated by.

Of course, a spark shot from the ball and hit his outreached fingers. Swinging the hand up and down, Gohan blew on his numbing hand as it quickly lost it's feeling.

"Well, that wasn't really smart now was it..." grumbled Gohan to himself.

Another voice, however, answered back to him. "Probably not, no."

Gohan's entire body stiffened up, his eyes opening wide in shock. Slowly he turned around, finding an old purple man standing behind him.

"But Saiyans have always been like that, sticking their fingers where they don't belong."

"T...Takula? You're... how are..." sputtered Gohan.

"Kai's watch over each sector of space. North, South, East, and West. The Grand Kai watches over the four Kais, and gives them advice and orders. The Supreme Kai, however, watch over dimensions and choose how to act upon a race who has used something to change the flow, such as time travel. There can ever only be one stream. It is our job to make sure the best option for everyone is the one which continues to flow on."

Gohan was at a loss for words. The last time he had seen Takula was back when the Universal Library was about to crash into earth, and the old Kai had stayed aboard to turn off the ships shields. How in the world had Takula gotten into his head?

"It's time you learned. The Fall of the Saiyans, you need to see it with your own eyes to understand."

Gohan finally regained control of his body, straightening up as he scratched the back of his head. "But, didn't you tell me all that already? That humans are really saiyans?"

"You must understand the why of things. The powers that are coming to a head have history with one another. The battle on Earth will decide the fate of the rest of the galaxy, the universe. When the Saiyans fell from their seat as Supreme Kai, there was no killing strike for any side. Each race escaped, all _but_ wiped out. Now, on Earth, those powers will clash once again, and this Casket plans to deal the final blow this time."

Gohan began to repeat his question, of how Takula had managed to get into this place, but he was stopped when a sudden flash of light blinded him. And as the light faded, he found himself watching a dream of the past.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Had ya going with the whole Blast thing, didn't I?

The next little mini-story is my last clue as to what's going to happen in the final saga. Pay attention!


	27. The Legend

Before Planet Vegeta's destruction at the hands of Frieza, it was a common practice to send infants off into space to clear planets of life for potential buyers. The planets never were of a high value or in demand, else adults would have been sent. Rather, these planets were simply a place where two things could happen; either the child would survive and return home a strong warrior or they would die proving they weren't worth the trouble to raise in the first place.

Some children however, mainly those born with very high power levels or whom were born into a higher class family, would stay on Vegeta to be trained by the best. And it was with these children that the Saiyan Legend took hold. Many thought King Vegeta simply wanted to find a super saiyan so that their race as a whole could lead Frieza's empire to untold glory. The King, rather, had other motives. He wanted freedom for his people, to get from under Frieza's thumb, but now was not the time. The saiyans were not ready, and Frieza was just too strong. If Frieza felt even the least bit threatened, he wouldn't think twice as to kill every last saiyan, and even if they did kill the tyrant, his father and brother were still out there along with their own armies besides. So the most likely of candidates stayed on the planet, to make sure that if a super saiyan did come it could be … removed before Frieza caught wind.

But even still, as their race was held in the palm of a monster, not a single saiyan, not even King Vegeta, could stop from telling their children the Legend. As a whole, the saiyans were not good story tellers. They were fighters, not scholars. It was because of that why so many different stories came about, but all these stories shared one theme.

Against all odds three thousand saiyans fought and held the line against an unfathomable force. And their leader?

A super Saiyan.

~The Calm Before Saga~

Chapter 27 – The Legend

A lone saiyan stood before an army beyond imagination. Half were a colorful spectrum of blobs, many taking the form of the saiyan's friends rather than their usual humanoid versions, while the other half was made up of blue creatures with antennae on their heads. Both types stood tall, fresh, seemingly free of any form of damage or exhaustion. It was a thing to see, not for it's beauty but rather the fear it would create simply by hovering there.

The saiyan turned to look back and found the opposite true for those behind him. Tired faces and worn bodies made up the saiyans behind him. The saiyan race had always been low in number, but this…

"Retreat," spoke the King.

The word was not loud, and the cold vacuum of space did nothing to help the sound travel, but every saiyan heard their king, the one word on everyone's mind. All of their faces twisted in disgust at the word, as if its mere mention sullied the tongue it came from and the ears it reached.

"But King, all the wounded have only just left. We … we can't…"

The King turned to face the warrior who had spoken the words everyone had wanted to. The metal on his uniform indicated he was of the lowest rank. If this war had never happened, such a warrior would never have been allowed to speak to the King, and the soldier clearly felt uneasy about it even after the words had long left his lips.

The King smiled with a seeming ease that left the rest of the fighters very much unsettled. "We have fought long and hard. They are saiyans after all; they can manage the rest of the way on their own. Now you must look out for yourselves."

The handful of saiyans turned to one another, uneasily debating their next actions in their heads.

The King however continued to instruct his soldiers. "Take my private craft, it won't be able to get you to the homeworld, but she will get you far enough away from here. And tell those saiyans who are coming here from the wounded ships they are fools."

The others perked up after hearing that.

"There are others coming to reinforce us?" questioned one.

"Maybe … we could still win this then!"

"No!" bellowed the King, forcing the other saiyans to shrink as much as they could. "This battle is not lost as long as we survive. Head them off in the Plant System, find a planet to land on before the ships you are on lose power, and live long lives!"

Defeat worked its way onto the faces of everyone. Saiyans, saiyan warriors did _not_ retreat.

"That is the final order of your King. As saiyans, I expect you all to honor that. Your pride … _my_ pride depends on it."

The saiyans were quiet for a time, even as their enemies were quickly closing the distance between the two forces. The soldier from before finally found his voice, and he brought his fist up to his heart as he stuttered out the words. "As my name is Vegeta, I will do as you command."

The King gave a nod and watched as the remnants of what was once 3000 filled into a small spacecraft. His eyes strained at the thought and how ridiculous it was. So much death, so much and yet so little to show for it. Pulling forward his sword, he pulled an iron ball from its resting place at the pommel. The blue flames of the sword subsided, falling back towards the orb till they disappeared completely inside it, giving the small ball a slightly blue glow. Moving to the front of the ship, he lifted up the hood and inserted it into a small device not unlike the pommel on his sword, and then closed it all back up.

"This ship is every bit as saiyan as you or I, she will get you where you need to go. I promise you that."

The soldiers gave one last nod before powering up the spacecraft. The King turned, leaving them in the care of his ship as he turned to buy them time. Even though his sword was simply a mere blade now, he was the King of all Saiyans. He would be enough to give them the time they needed.

The spaceship took off, the enemies taking action when they saw the saiyans beginning to retreat. Blasters fired from the fighters, a multitude of beams traveling the distance to their target with a rapid pace. The King held the sword before him, taking a long breath as the darkness of space began to grow brighter. Lowering himself down, he roared out as he swung the blade in front of him. The pupils in his eyes faded to white as his energy traveled down the blade and continued on, carving a swath through the attacks and causing the rest to explode. The King surrounded himself in a goldish green aura as he took off, his black hair billowing along with his cape.

The enemy shot another volley of energy beams, this time more towards the king than his ship. Blind rage filled the King as he continued to charge. He refused to even acknowledge this attack as he simply plowed through the beams, explosions enveloping him upon the impact. Smoke rolled off the King as he emerged to the amazement of the Makaioshin and the Buus. Pulling his arm back, the royal fighter began to form an energy ball. The area was consumed in a blue light, causing many of the enemy to recoil slightly as they were confused. The light began to collapse in on itself, concentrating into a small orb. The King cried out as he threw it towards the closest gathering of enemies.

The orb exploded, taking the fighters and the ship they were standing upon along with them. The King turned, his muscles seemingly bulging at the seams as he grit his teeth together, to his next target.

-DBZ-

Vegeta and the other saiyan warriors landed upon a rocky planet with two half-moons high in the night sky. From space they had seen pockets of green seemingly situated at random, but those were being heavily patrolled, patrolled by the same people who seemed to be coming to meet them now. The soldier watched the craft land before him. It was brightly colored, he noted, and seemed to be more for show than for actual defense. Definitely not saiyan built. Strange humanoid creatures piled out, all but one wearing masks that covered their faces. The one without the mask took the lead while the others pointed blasters at the saiyans.

"What is your purpose here? Who are you?"

Vegeta looked around. Why were they there? A fair question, but it carried a weight this man had no way of knowing. The higher ranked fighters bit their tongues, and those they had met up with were nursing wounds that would have killed lesser creatures. Taking the initiative, the short low class saiyan answered back.

"We are wayward saiyans. Our ships are damaged, but if possible we will be willing to trade them in exchange for you allowing us to live on this planet."

The man turned to Vegeta, a skeptical look on his face. "Saiyans? I know the name, and you lot don't match the picture in my head. So I'll ask again, who are you and what do you want with us Tuffles?"

The soldier growled back at this alien. "We were your gods whelp! We helped you up from the mud we found you in and taught you everything you know!"

A golden aura surrounded Vegeta as he ascended to his first golden state. "Our hands hold the ability to destroy you and your entire planet! And you dare say we are not saiyan!?"

"...So answer me!" continued the low class saiyan as he transformed into his Super Ape from. A brown fur covered his upper torso save his pecks and abs; a dark outline circled his eyes as well. Vegeta's tail unwrapping itself as he formed an energy ball that cast shadows across his angered face. "Do you Tuffles still question us?!"

-DBZ-

On a beautiful blue planet with a single white moon, a handful of broken space carriers touched down. The ships whirled and clanked to what would likely be their last stop, and in those sounds a tiny bit of sadness could be heard. Or so it seemed to the equally wounded saiyans as they stepped out and looked up at the starry night sky. Silently, without an order or discussion, parts of the ships began to be scrapped as to help treat the more seriously wounded. Those who were in well enough shape dashed off into the night to gather food. The moon silently watched over her saiyans, and the saiyans didn't feel the need to fill the void. Now was not the time for music or laughter. They were supreme kais, gods, warriors ... saiyans, yet they had ran away...

The planet was in tatters. Towards the beginning of the Supreme War, the Makaioshins had raised the surface to the ground. The saiyans had saved the planet, and life was already beginning to return, but it felt so empty. So damaged everything about it just left the saiyans in a state of sorrow and undirectable anger.

But as the sun began to peak over the horizon the moon gave her saiyans one last gift. The sharp ears of the saiyans from the central most ship perked up as the sound of crying reached them. All the saiyans from that ship, healthy and wounded alike, rushed towards the source of the noise, equally to make sure everyone was alright and to appease their pride by showing themselves that they hadn't really ran away. When they got there however, all they found were the cries of a newly born saiyan.

It was a profound thing for the saiyans. For generations, their young had lived hard lives. They'd only keep the healthy ones, and those with any birth defects would be tossed away. In olden times, it was off a cliff. Not too long ago, they'd know how healthy the child would be before birth through technology and science and would abort the undesirable young beforehand. It was only now, after the saiyan race had been pushed to the brink of extinction, that they could look at life as such a precious thing. Only now could they find something like birth so ... beautiful.

There was a saying that had always floated around the saiyans, the kind of thing parents would tell their children so the kids would try harder. A true saiyan never cries. Yet these beaten and broken saiyans, surrounded by the scrap of their once proud race, couldn't help themselves. The adults began to cry, to weep and morn for those who had stayed behind so they could live. The children were quick to follow, the emotion of the early morning consuming them as well.

The truth was not that a saiyan never cries, but only true saiyans _know_ how to cry. To cry from the bottom of their stomach, their souls. Their hearts.

And so this child was the first to have his tail removed at birth and to live with a new name. Those who had stayed behind, the force of three thousand would be known as Spartans, as saints. The ones who had ran stripped themselves of the name saiyan. It felt wrong to keep it. So they called themselves human, the humbled.

The name saiyan was lost as time passed. It was never used, because they believed no saiyans existed anymore. It was those who had stayed and those who had ran, no more and no less. The thought that some had survived ... never entered even their wildest of dreams...

-DBZ-

The King turned to his next target, but the sight of the monstrosity before him forced the king to falter His pupils came back into focus as he unconsciously hovered away. He now knew why the Makaioshin forces had allowed the remainder of his forces to escape. Behind the lines of the Makaioshin was an absolutely massive monster. It was yellow, almost insect like with its two clear wings on its back. The King hadn't the slightest idea of what it was or why it was there, but he could make out the much smaller creatures floating at its feet.

"So some of the Kashvar survived..."

The star traveling necromancers who were taken under the wings of the Makaioshin. The King scoffed at the idea. Their power was no joke, the King could understand that making the Kasvar ones second in command sounded good in theory, but that would be as far as it would go. The Kasvar thought themselves higher than all races, destined as the sole heir to everything the universe had to offer. They never worked well in groups.

The King had been positive all of them had been killed when they tried to turn on the Makaioshin during the Battle of the Majins. The war had been going in the favor of the saiyans even after getting caught off guard by the Makaioshin traitors. To think the Makaioshins were able to find something as frightful as the Majins and their Buus...

The King stiffened as he returned his gaze to the monster alongside the Kashvar. To think they also had the ability to call upon something so dark.

Like mist above a small pond, the monster began to fade into the void of space. The King blinked in surpise. Quickly he glanced left and right as he tried to catch sight of the beast, but no such luck. It was just gone, as quickly as it had arrived.

It was the King's gut that reacted first. It suddenly felt like his stomach had dropped a good few feet, and the King knew he had to move. He fazed out of view, flying as far and as fast as he could for fear of what was behind him. The feeling was not new to the King. Watching his fellow saiyans eaten and consumed by those buu creatures gave him the same sense of dread. But this...

This was much worse.

The darkness behind the King was consumed in a blinding light. The silence despite all that made the King feel sick. Countless flashes came from behind him, but no sounds of explosions in space. No screaming. No shock waves. No nothing. Just silence.

The lights eventually faded back to the dark cold of space. He had put some distance between him and his opponents, but he could just make out there outlines in the distance when he turned to see. The army he expected to be there, however, was nowhere to be seen. The force that had not long ago been closing in on him and his saiyans without a scratch had been replaced by a bloody, beaten, and broken fraction of what it had been.

The Kings eyes focused on the beast, now reformed from the mist it had become. That ability was dangerous, to be sure ... but something about left him feeling much more uneasy than it should be. He himself could faze out of view, move faster than the eye could track, faster than light itself in fact. Turning to mist, by all rights, should have been a step down in order to achieve the same goal. A weaker technique to reach the same end, of flanking a surprised enemy.

But there was more to it than that. His eyes, the King of the Supreme Kai's eyes could see the flow of time waver in that mist.

The Majins however missed that detail, and the King's eyes widened in horror when he heard one shout to his minion. "Buu! I command you, all of you! Consume that beast! Make it my own!"

The King faltered. He had watched those ... buus ... eat his friends and comrades and then use that power against the Saiyans themselves. Such a fate was worse than death for a saiyan, but the Majins had little control over their creations to begin with, less so after consuming something as strong as a transformed saiyan. To take over that thing ... no one would be able to halt that madness.

Grinding his teeth and tensing his muscles, the King shot towards the battlespace. The weaker fighters, specifically the majin and kashvar, seemed to freeze in place. Who were left of the Makaioshins slowed to a near halt as well, but to the King's horror the buus moved nearly as fast as he was now. The King pushed himself harder and faster, well past his limits, but he already knew the result. He had been in enough fights to understand instantly.

He was not going to get there in time.

The buus lost their shape, becoming blobs of pink and purple as they tried to surround their pray. The monstrous form of Herudegarn began to fade, a wisp of what it was moments before. The Buus finished forming a bubble around the monster, but the mist would not be contained so easily. The King was forced to stop as the fog passed through the pink goop, gathering free on the other side. The King's hands began to shake violently from fear, his sword nearly vibrating from the movement.

This was wrong, it was all wrong! This was not how bodies should break down and reform. The King's stomach almost threw up his last meal, and he had to hold his hand over his mouth just to keep it down. And he wasn't the only one. None of his enemies seemed to understand the turn of events either. The buus warped and changed shape, as if they actually were chewing gum in someone's mouth. The mist swirled around itself, as if confused as to why it couldn't reform its body.

The buus finally stopped its unusual movement, taking the form of a warped Herudegarn which received some cheers from the majin watching from the side.

The Makaioshins and the King however were more focused on what the mist was doing. It was slowly growing darker, blacker, thicker. It seemed to be similar to the makeup of buus, in that it's form could change at will, but upon closer inspection it was made up of tubes of some form.

Rather than wait, the King roared out as he swung his sword down. A brilliantly white slash leapt from the edge of the blade, carving a path towards this Buudegarn and the mist behind it. It cleanly cleaved through the pink monstrosity, but exploded before it could move past to it's second target. As the vacuum of space smothered the flames, Buudegarn emerged from the smoke in two pieces. It sported a intimidating grin, one the blackness of space did nothing to lessen. It formed together, and was readying itself to attack the King in earnest. The King hovered back slightly, grinding his teeth as he came to the realization he couldn't do a thing with how spent he was. But just before the beast could make a move, its expression changed to surprise.

If it were possible, the King's eyes were even wider than before. A spike from the mist pierced Buudegarn, right where its heart would have been if such a thing had one. And for some strange reason, Buudegarn seemed to be hurt by the attack. The monster looked down at the object currently in its chest, a hand moving up to take hold of it, to try and pull it out with its draining strength. Then suddenly, a spike just like the one in its chest popped out of its arm, and then another from its leg, and another from its head.

The pink Buudegarn slowly but surely was being consumed by this black mist! The King could only watch his mind both racing and completely blank as to what was unfolding before him. The mist grew larger, darker, and fuller, to the point where it could no longer be called simply mist. A storm of tubes and tentacles more like, with no humanistic body to speak of.

Without warning, a multitude of spikes shot towards the remaining army the saiyan king once called enemy. Almost all of them were pierced before they even knew what was happening, a mere handful scattering to the stars as quickly as they could. The tubes continued to give chase however, and most that had escaped the first wave lasted mere seconds longer than their companions.

The King blocked the first spike coming his way with his sword, the tube deflecting away from him. Countless more shot towards him moments afterwards, forcing the King to create a bubble of energy around his entire body. The tubes deflected off the shield as well, but quickly adapted and wrapped around the orb, pulling the now captive King towards the center mass of this monster.

Tossing his sword in front of him, it popped his shield as it flew towards this new foe. The pop from the shield pushed the tubes back just enough for the King to phase out and away. The spikes pulled in the sword regardless, and soon he could no longer see his weapon. The King held his hand out, his palm facing the storm of black. Wincing, the King pulled his hand closed. For a moment, nothing happened. Simply silence.

The sudden rock of explosions from inside the monster changed that as the beast was forced apart from the inside. The King hunched over, his energy nearly all spent as he sadly watched his sword fly off into space with no way for him to stop it. It was strong, it would survive sun or planet, but it was his last friend in this quickly growing darkness. To see it go wounded the King in a way words could not describe.

"Look out!"

The King was pulled out of his thoughts by a hand pushing against his shoulder, just as a spike passed by no less. Jumping back, an energy orb formed in his hands as he pushed it towards the tube that had nearly killed him. The ball exploded, forcing the extremity back to its host. Turning to his savior, he was surprised to find a Makaioshin standing next to him.

Behind the traitor were Kaioshin's he knew, ones who hadn't turned. The King could only ask. "Why?"

"There are bigger things at stake here..." answered the Makaioshin. "Our fight will have to be put on hold."

The King could only chuckle, putting his hand on his new comrade. "Then I have a task for you, what is your name?"

"Takula, sir."

"Takula? I need you to fly away from here as fast as possible. Go to the Apocrypha System, there you will find a library I want you to take care of."

The Makaioshins eyes widened as big as dish saucers. "L-Library ... you couldn't mean..."

"That's the one!" shouted the King, impatience slowly growing in his voice. "Now go! Do not turn back! If you have any respect for me, you'll do as I ask you!"

The young Makaioshin nodded, and quickly took flight away from the dangers behind him. One of the Kaioshins turned to the King, a questioning look on his face. "Was that wise?"

The King turned towards the storm of black, a smile slowly growing as his saiyan blood began to boil for battle. "I doubt we'll live long enough to find out."

-DBZ-

Gohan regained his barring's, finding himself back in control of his faculties. Takula held his arms behind his back. His somber mood caught the young saiyan off guard. Still, Gohan had so many questions.

"Wait! What happened? Did the King die?! How did it end!?"

Takula simple gave a shrug in return. "Neither my blood nor yours was there. You'd have to ask the man yourself. I assumed he died along with this Casket. But with me being here, I can see that was not the whole story."

Gohan blinked, falling back as he sat down to help him collect his thoughts. There were just to many questions and no easy way to word them.

"How do you know all this? How ... how are you even here?"

"It is a Supreme Kai's role to watch over the flow of time," began the old Kai. "Your future self was not the only one to throw himself into the Casket to pass on a message."

Gohan scratched the back of his head. "But still, there are parts you weren't there for! Didn't you say you didn't know where Earth was?"

Takula stood up. As he walked closer Gohan began to note small differences in how the old Makaioshin looked when compared to his memory. Takula looked much much older, his purple skin dried and shriveled around the old creaky bones. The young saiyan nearly jumped free of his clothes when those same old bones leaned over and poked his chest.

"You are special, boy. Much more than you or anyone realizes. You carry the blood, the memory not only of the saiyans, but the humans as well. You were born, and lived almost all of your life, on your homeland under your single silver moon. All these things lead to you being who you are. You were born with a great destiny Gohan Son."

* * *

**AN:**

Alright! I finally finished this chapter! Whooh! *falls over*

Oh, right, next chapter. I promise the focus will be Gohan in Videl, in some form or fashion of romance. Remember back in the days, when that's what this story was about?

...Me neither, but it's nice to dream.


	28. Videls Secret 1

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 28 – Videls Secret 1

"Please don't go daddy!"

"I have to honey … I really do."

The room was a sterile white. The door was shut, leaving those inside nearly shut off to the outside world. A single small TV was their only link, and on its screen…?

Cell.

Today was the day, D-Day. The very day the Cell Games were to be held and the fate of the world to be decided. Hercule knew the score, he had seen what had happened to Ginger Town, to the news station, to the planet. This Cell was a monster no one could beat, not even him. That thing was as strong as the devil itself. But … but he was the people's hero, the real life rags to riches story. It was his job to entertain the world, to give it hope. If the world was destined to die, it was his responsibility to give people hope right to the very end. He had to go…

He had to…

The teary eyes of a young girl looked up at him from the side of a white bed. The hospital room was silent save for her sniffling. Her eyes bore into him, pleading that he not leave her. Her small hands gripped the bed sheets before her, as if what they covered would leave as well if given the chance. Hercule painfully looked up to his wife, her skin just as pale as the room. The electrical equipment had been pulled from her the day before, to be moved to another victim of the deadly heart virus most likely.

Word was Capsule Corp. was closing in on a cure they could mass produce, but it was too late for this family. Hercule closed his eyes, letting go of a breath that had been caught in his throat for far too long. Could he really do this to his daughter? Just leave her here alone as the world ends? What was more important? Giving the world hope until the very last minute? Or staying with his now motherless daughter and watch as Cell destroys the planet when no one shows up for his games?

Gods … Hercule silently gave a prayer that no one else would ever have to make such a choice before returning his gaze to his grieving daughter. "I know it's hard Videl, and I know it hurts, but if I don't go who's going to save the world?"

"Someone else will show up…" protested the girl. "All those meanies you fight should go instead…"

Hercule forced a smile. "Are you saying those meanies are stronger than me?"

"No!" quickly responded Videl. It brought a much warmer smile to Hercule's face.

"It's just … what if … you don't come back?"

Hercule took his daughter into his arms, giving her his best … and likely last … hug he could give. "I'm Hercule Satan, remember? I'm the strongest there is! … I promise you Videl, I will be back. So … can you be strong for me too?"

Videl clearly wanted to cry, but with a will that both surprised her father and made him well up with pride, she held back her tears. Her lips curled up, yet even so, Videl gave her father a single nod.

"That's my girl."

Standing, Hercule turned to leave the room. The noise from the hospital filled the room as he opened the door. Giving into weakness, Hercule turned around to have one last look at his daughter. She had buried her face into the sheets that covered her mother, and her small body shook almost violently, but Hercule couldn't hear neither a whimper nor a peep.

So with what strength he still had, Hercule stepped out and shut the door behind him. The sound of whaling was almost instant, and it forced the world champ to freeze in place. His Videl was so strong, so much stronger than he ever could be…

Tears began to fall down his own face as he fell down against the door behind him. She had held back her tears for him, gods she was strong. So so strong…

"Sir … are you okay?"

Hercule blinked away his tears as quickly as he could, looking up to find a nurse leaning over him. A quick rub of the face, and Hercule was back on his feet.

"Duh-yes yes. Thank you for asking…"

Silence filled the hallway, as the nurse looked on skeptically. Yet suddenly, her expression changed. "Wait, you're Mr. Satan right?! The world champ?"

"Yes, uh, yes I am. Say … can you look after my, uh, daughter while I go to the Cell Games?"

Shock filled the face of the resident nurse. "Oh my, y-you're actually going to go then?"

"As long as you can promise to look after my daughter, yes."

The nurse quickly gave a nod and moved past Hercule, opening the door to the hospital room and closing it behind her. The Champ winced as the sounds of crying from his daughter loudened and then softened with the opening and closing of the door, but he couldn't linger. He had to get the red out of his eyes.

He wouldn't be able to inspire much hope if his eyes were bloodshot from crying.

…

It was over.

It was really … over.

A small boy who couldn't have been much older than his own daughter had defeated Cell. Hercule had been absolutely useless against the monster, just as he had figured. But those other fighters, the ones with the strange clothes and hair … they did it! They had actually managed to defeat that thing!

"Please wait Delivery Boy! I **HAVE** to have an interview with you!"

Hercule glanced over at the reporter by his side. He had been the only one there, besides his camera man, who had the gall to show up and commentate on the games. For the first time that day, it seemed like the man had figured out to detach from Hercule's hip and talk to some of the other people there. As far as Hercule could tell though, the fighters weren't quite used to being on camera. Infact it looked like they had been walking closer to him and the other spectators just to find a place to sit down and rest, rather than an interview.

The short bald one was bracing the Delivery Boy against his shoulder, it didn't look like the boy could stand under his own power anymore. Who could blame him though? Hercule himself was on his hands and knees, his body to weak from the relief that he and the rest of the world would live to see another day.

It was then that the Delivery Boy glanced over to Hercule, and gave the man a kind smile. "I think he should get the credit for beating Cell."

"…WHAT?"

Hercule's mind had gone blank the moment the words left the boys lips, but it seemed the Delivery Boy's friends were a little quicker to shake off the shock and react.

"Are you kidding Gohan? Him? …Why?"

"Well cause, I don't want reporters all over me like they are all over Mr. Satan, and my mom probably hurt them if they came around and interrupted my studies... and besides, I wouldn't have been able to do it without him anyway..."

The Delivery Boy's friends clearly were still in protest, though they couldn't argue with the Chi-Chi point, and it didn't seem like the young hero cared all too much anyway. He turned to the reporter, and with a slightly pleading face he asked again. "So if you'll all agree to keep quiet about it, I think Mr. Satin should take the credit."

A sudden realization hit Hercule as the others tried to talk the Delivery Boy out of his plan. These fighters, really, hadn't needed him to be here. No matter what the boy said, he would have found a way to defeat Cell. Hercule knew that in his heart. Which meant … he could have … he SHOULD have stayed with Videl. His stomach turned upside down with guilt. He had put his daughter, his baby through so much, and for what?

Silently, Hercule resolved his will. He couldn't tell Videl the truth, the truth that he had put her through hell for nothing. He couldn't admit to it, not in a million years. No father could…

-DBZ-

Hercule fell from his chair, waking up just as he slammed into the floor below him. "Uhhhh…."

Slowly, the Champ found his feet and picked himself up. A rather large bump began to form on his head, causing him to grumble as he opened his eyes to try and find his bearings. He was in the living room by the looks of it, or at least one of them. Fallen asleep infront of the TV again. Hercule began to make his way towards the kitchen for what he hoped would be breakfast as he recalled the events of the dream again.

"Been a while since I had that dream…"

As Hercule wandered through his mansion, it became obvious to him that he wasn't heading towards the kitchen any more. Rather, he soon found himself outside infront of a dull gray grave stone surrounded by the brightest flowers the world had to offer.

Juda Satan.

The Champ let a sigh escape his lips. Spring was already here, and the flowers were coming in again. How she would have loved to see them. A smile crossed his lips as he thought back to countless memories.

"I'm so sorry Videl. I truly am."

-DBZ-

Videl sighed haphazardly as she looked out her bus window to the snowy ground passing by. They had only just left the school, but the hoverbus had already gotten so close to Mt. Snowdor that what little green of spring that had been visible was long behind them. She had been slightly dreading this day, yet even though it was now here she couldn't help but feel a little excited.

Just a little though.

She had been to Mt. Snowdor countless times. It was one of her father's resorts that they were going to be staying at. Just that this time, however, she was going with her classmates rather than her dad.

Her senior field trip was upon her, anyone would be excited. She, of course, was just a little excited though. Just a little.

In the seat infront of her, Gohan was also looking out his window while to his left Sharpner was pulling a deck of cards from his pack. Gohan had to admit, he really didn't want to be here, but not for the reasons one would expect. His secrets were currently going viral on Z-tube, not much was going to keep that under wraps. In actuality, Bulma was due with her baby in two days and this trip was supposed to take three. She could always go overdue, but that really put the safety of the others in Forlorn Hope x2 at risk and Gohan didn't want that. If it came to it, he figured he would fly to Capsule Corp to be there. Heck, all his close friends knew how to fly too, maybe he should invite them to come? It'd be nice to just fly there with Videl though…

Shaking his head free of that thought, Gohan glanced back to find Sharpner starting to pass cards to Erasa and Videl, and then to him as well. Gohan really didn't want to play Old Maid, he was just so bad at it. Not that he didn't know how to play, he had picked up the rules while playing it in the first Forlorn Hope, right before the Incident of Month Seven. Now he always got flashbacks whenever he tried to play … really … horrifying flashbacks…

"Buck up Books, you're playing whether you want to or not."

Erasa giggled, siding with Sharpner by trying to coax Gohan into playing. "Ya, come on Gohan! It isn't fun if you just watch."

He knew when he was beaten, but Gohan still put up a defiant front. "All right, all right. I'll play, but go easy on me!"

"No way Books, knowing you, you'll probably start counting the cards or something," grumbled Sharpner, who seemed to be a little sore about always losing to him, noted Videl.

Smirking confidently, Videl moved her feet under herself to gain a little more height against her opponents from her bus seat. "I'm watching you Gohan, no cheating."

Smiling nervously, Gohan rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "Come on guys, you know me. I'd never cheat!"

"Suuuure," rolled Erasa, smiling the whole while. "Of course you wouldn't…"

"I wouldn't!"

His friends finally burst out laughing, not being able to keep the gag going any longer. Gohan laughed as well, happy that everything seemed normal for at least a moment in his life. Sharpner was the first to compose himself, and as such he returned everyone's focus to the matter at hand.

"Alright Gohan, hurry up and pick a card already. We might have time for another game after this if we hurry."

"Right right," agreed Gohan, who looked at the cards in Sharpner's hands.

Gohan's eyes's suddenly went white, the pupils disappearing nearly instantly. His body went limp, falling forward into his seat and then sliding off to the side till he came to an awkward stop face first into the chair and his feet flailed wildly behind him.

The three friends at first jumped back, but then quickly jumped up to their feet. "Gohan?!"

"…please no mom…" mumbled the out cold Gohan, "…please don't hurt me … mom please … _nooooo_…"

Up in the front of the hoverbus, Krillin chuckled as he leaned over the back of his own seat. "Well that didn't take long."

-DBZ-

Gohan came to in a room he did not know. His heart skipped a beat or two, but eventually his brain caught up and he remembered. The fieldtrip! Had he … passed out or something? What on earth would make him pass out? His body must really have been out of it, which is understandable given the circumstances. Deadly monster alien thing in his body, missing his right arm, constant night attacks from countless people who have no business in his dreams.

"I'm way too stressed out, jezz. I hope I didn't worry anybody."

While getting up Gohan glanced out the window and found it dark already. How long had he been out? Putting a hop in his step, Gohan rushed to the door to try and catch up with everyone. He didn't want to be in his room for the entire fieldtrip!

When he opened the door however, he nearly ran into someone much much shorter than himself.

"Oww! Watch where you're going Gohan!"

Okay… maybe he had hit her. Whups. Nervously smiling, Gohan did his best to apologies. "S-Sorry Videl. I didn't mean to. I was just in a hurry to catch up with you guys."

"It's fine," grumbled Videl. "Sharpner and Erasa just sent me to check up on you, and it looks like you're fine now, so let's go back."

Gohan nodded, and the two began to make their way to what Gohan guessed was the main rec area for the snowy resort. "So uh … what happened to me anyway?"

"You passed out right as we began to play Old Maid. I have no idea why, but Krillin seemed to know. He wouldn't tell us no matter what though…"

Old Maid huh. Gohan was smart enough to put two and two together. No doubt Krillin was going to tell everyone back home too … maybe he could talk the short monk out of it somehow? "Heh, I must have been … hungry or something."

"Funny, I thought for sure you were going to say cause you had to go to the bathroom." Videl had a huge sneer on her face, and Gohan just knew he was in hot water.

"I really am bad at lying, aren't I."

"Yes. Yes you are."

The two laughed, choosing to spend the rest of the trip in silence from that point on. Gohan waved to Erasa and Sharpner once he caught site of them, whom seemed to be finishing up a game of table tenis at a rate no normal human should have been able to. Gohan smiled, thinking to himself at how far they all had come since they had met.

"About time you got up books! It's kinda pathetic for a man to pass out and miss the first day of a field trip ya know."

"Be nice Sharpner! I was really worried about Gohan…"

Gohan raised his arm up to reassure them. "Hey guys. Sorry about worrying you Erasa. I'm not sure what happened…"

Gohan glanced over to Videl, who was giving him a slightly playful if not evil eye.

"…but I'm feeling better now, so what I miss?"

Erasa giggled, pointing her thumb over towards Sharpner as she set her ping pong pattel down. "Well, you missed Sharpner here rolling down the hill as a giant snowball and crashing into the side of the building...!"

"Hey! You promised you wouldn't' say anything!"

Gohan laughed as he tried to imaging what it must have looked like. Videl walked over, jabbing Sharpner in the gut with her elbow as well.

"Just like a man, huh?"

"Ya ya, rub it in while you can," grumbled Sharpner. "I'll get the hang of it tomorrow, and then you'll all just have to live with eating my snow."

Gohan smiled, nodding his head. "Sure ya will."

Everyone laughed quite plainly at Sharpner's expense, and he went on defending himself as Erasa continued the teasing. Gohan however turned his attention to Videl, glancing down to meet her short stature… not that he'd ever say that aloud.

"So Videl, have you ever been on a snowboard before?"

Videl gave a quick nod. "Oh ya, lots of times. This is my dad's resort, remember? We always used to come here for New Years."

An awkward silence filled the void between the two, as they both knew that this last New Years had been a little different.

Forcing the words out of his mouth, Gohan did his best to ignore the butterflies floating around in his stomach. "W-Well, I've never been on one before, so I'll probably end up like Sharpner if I'm not to careful."

Videl laughed, thankfully to Gohan's stomach. "I doubt that. You'd have to try and put in effort to be as bad as Sharpner is."

"Hehe, if you say so," nervously agreed the teen. "Still, it'd be nice … if maybe … you'd teach me how it's done tomorrow?"

Videl felt like she was about to protest, when another idea popped into her head along with a rather wicked grin. "So … the pupil has finally surpassed the master?"

"Heh, seems like it! So do we have a deal?"

Videl poked her chin as she thought. She rather enjoyed watching Gohan squirm around, she doubt it would ever get old to be honest, but she thought better and gave a single nod.

"As long as you listen to whatever I say, then it's a deal."

Gohan quickly nodded his head as well, though it was probably too many for both their likings. He really did feel way too nervous for this to be a good thing. "Works for me, for sure."

And so the two went back to watching Sharpner and Erasa duke it out in a battle of wits Sharpner was doomed to lose. Gohan smiled to himself, quite proud with his effort to get back on solid ground with Videl. He could hardly contain his excitement.

Videl 's face was much more straight, not having to constantly try and hide a goofy grin helping with that, but even so she was a little excited herself.

Just a little.

* * *

**AN:**

Haha! Get it? ** Juda S**atin? Snowdor? Z-Tube? Eh? Eh? Eh….

Anywho, hope you enjoyed the chapter. If I did my math right, we should be just over 100k words. Wowzers that went fast, least for me anyway. Maybe not so much for you guys.

Ah yes, the field trip. It's hard to deny that this couple has become tied with the things so I figured why not. It's a lot different than most though, cause … well, Gohan's secrets are pretty much out in the open. It's Videl this go around with the secrets to hide, so it should be pretty fresh.

Hope to see everyone again soon with the next chapter!


	29. Videls Secret 2

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 29 – Videls Secret 2

"I don't think this is such a good idea Videl."

"Funny, I remember you saying you'd do whatever I said."

"Well, ya but … should I really be starting at the _top_ of the mountain?"

Gulping, the saiyan teen glanced down the snowy slope before him. He even felt a little dizzy. Gohan had flown higher than this countless times of course, it wasn't so much the height as the fact he was gonna ride down a mountain's worth of snow on a piece of plastic.

It just didn't seem very smart.

Videl however was enjoying every moment. "Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Saiyaman. Is this too high for you? Who was it again who _pushed_ me off Kami's Lookout first thing after I had finally managed to climb all the way up?"

"To be fair … that was for your own good."

"I'm sure."

Smiling nervously, Gohan took another glance down the mountainside. As he had been told earlier, whilst signing what he believed to have at least been the fifth waver form to get up here, Mt. Snowdor was the only mountain in the world to actually have a Quadruple Black Diamond slope. And so far, the only two people who had even attempted the slope were Videl and her father Hercule. Funnily enough, Hercule actually still held the best time over Videl, though Gohan could have sworn he saw a few imprints of Hercules face in some of the trees leading away from the main course towards what could only be called a canyon shortcut.

The goof could survive a lot, you had to give him that.

Videl gave Gohan a nudge forward, bringing Gohan flailing back to the present while he tried to regain his balance. "Well alright, are you gonna go or just stand here freezing to death while you look at it?"

"I'll go, I'll go! Just…" Gohan stood himself up, his arm extending out to try and maintain his balance on the board beneath him. "…give me a second."

Rolling her eyes, Videl kicked her board out and began to slide down the snow past her trainee. "Keep your weight balanced, knees flexed, don't turn your chest forward, and remember to lean with the snow. Oh! And one more thing."

Gohan glance to his side, still desperately trying to simply keep his balance on the wet snow. "Ya?"

"Try to keep up."

Videl gave a devilish smile as she let herself begin to slide down the mountain. It didn't take long before she was nothing but a speeding bullet gliding atop the snow. She even felt the need to go off one of the early mounds of snow and twist a few times midair before disappearing from Gohans sight around the first bend.

"Show off."

Looking down at his board, Gohan quickly ran through the few tips Videl had given him before taking off. "Alright, just take it nice and slow till I get the hang of it. I mean, I've fought against Frieza, Cell, and even Broly! How hard can snowboarding down a mountain be?"

-DBZ-

Down at the bottom of the mountain, Erasa was busy checking her cell for the time while Sharpner was giving himself the biggest hug possible to try and stay warm.

"Remind me why we decided to come here for our senior fieldtrip rather than, I don't know, a nice warm beach or something?"

"You just want to see all the girls in their bikinis."

"Don't act like you don't want to see Gohan shirtless Erasa! We've been friends for too long, I know you better than that!"

Choosing to ignore her fellow blond, who _clearly_ was going crazy with all this snow, she put her hand just over her goggles to try and get a better view of the mountain. A smile crossed her face when she caught the first glimpse of Videl flying down the slope. Erasa quickly began to jump up and down, waving her friend over till Videl came skidding to a halt whom made sure to spray all of the snow only on Sharpner of course.

"You two are horrible friends."

Videl smiled, chuckling as Sharpner tried to shake all the white powder off. "We love you too."

It was then that Erasa glanced behind, blinking in confusion before returning her eyes to Videl. "Wait, where's Gohan?"

"Last I saw him he was taking a shortcut."

Sharpner got a slight reminiscent grin on his face. "Ya mean like your dad?"

On cue, a giant snowball burst through the side of the slope through the trees, hopped over the fence, zoomed right past the trio of teens, and slammed smack into the last tree between it and the resort. For a second, you could see the orange of Gohans winter coat before the snow hanging on the trees branches fell on top of him to add insult to injury.

Erasa was quick to cover her mouth in shock, though the other two seemed less worried. "Do you think he's okay?"

With creaking and cracking, the tree slowly but surely began to bend over and gain speed till it crashed into the ground with enough force to nearly sound like lightning.

Videl covered her mouth, though unlike Erasa she was just trying to keep her laughing in. "I'm sure he's fine."

Had Sharpner not done the same thing the day before, he probably would be laughing right alongside Videl. Instead, he was the first over to Gohan, trying to dig the poor saiyan out. A few scoops in, Sharpner found Gohans right hand sticking up in a way that probably wasn't to natural. A yank or two later, Gohan was freed from the snow though much of the wet fluff still stuck to his clothes.

Gohans eyes were swirling from how dizzy he must have been, so Sharpner sat down next to him and began to wait for his friends senses to come back.

"H-How'd I do?" asked Gohan in an extremely disoriented voice.

Sharpner smiled, holding his hand up towards his face. "One does not simply boards down Mt. Snowdor their first time."

-DBZ-

Inside the much warmer resort, the four teens split off as they headed to their rooms to find dry clothes and hot showers. Most everyone was still outside playing in the snow, but both Gohan and Sharpner seemed more than a little reluctant to go back up the hill for another go, so the four pretty much had the whole place to themselves.

As Sharpner closed the room to Gohan and his room, the blond couldn't help but prod a few questions. "Say Gohan, do you want me to distract Erasa so you and Videl can get some … alone time?"

Gohan found that "alone time" to be a little too playful for his liking, and more than a little creepy. Mentally he reminded himself to never let Sharpner say that to him again … ever. "A-Alone time?"

"You know, to try and get back together with her already."

For once, to both Sharpner and Gohans amazement even, Gohan didn't feel the need to be as defensive about the topic. "I don't know, do you think it's a good idea? She was the one who wanted us to be just friends?"

"Well, do you want to date her or not?"

"Y-Yes," mumbled Gohan, a red burst of color hitting his face. "I do, but is it right for a guy to keep pushing even after a girl says that? I'm just … no good with this social stuff."

Sharpner gave a slight sigh as he exchanged his wet shirt for a nice, warm, dry one. "Trust me, even normal dudes have trouble with that one. You just have to trust your gut sometimes and keep going after her no matter how many times she says no."

The two boys were silent for a second, the air in the room feeling way too heavy for a fieldtrip.

Gohan was the first to break the silence with a smile not unlike his father. "Girls are way too complicated."

"Hah!" laughed Sharpner in very much agreement. "Ya, they think it's obvious, but when their no can mean 'no' or 'I want to see if you're ready to give everything and work for me' it can be hard to follow. Even for geniuses, eh?"

"Even for geniuses," smiled back Gohan, scratching the back of his head all the while.

-DBZ-

Erasa quickly closed the door behind her and Videl, making sure to lock it after placing the do not disturb sign on the outside handle. Once that business was sorted, she whirled around like a tiger eyeing her pray, which was currently giving her a rather confused look as to why.

"Is something the matter Erasa?"

"We need to talk."

Videl had a vague idea of what that meant. Erasa had said the same thing to her only a few times before in her life, and it generally ended with her dressing up in something Erasa picked out. "Do we really though?"

"Do you think Gohan is going to ask you out today?"

"What? Why would you think he'd ask something like that today, if ever?"

Erasa quickly rolled her eyes. "Because! There's a 78% success rate for couples who get together during the senior trip to last till graduation!"

"Erasa, there's three months left till we graduate. The fact that almost one out of four couples can't last three months is not a-"

"Exactly! What if you and Gohan go to different colleges and never see each other again!"

Videl gave an uneasy shrug, her eyes glancing down to her side. "I'm sure we'll all stay in touch, us four I mean."

"Is that really what you want?" question Erasa, looking pretty depressed. "To just, stay in touch?"

Videl looked up to find Erasas very sad expression, and what's worse is that it seemed actually legit. Generally speaking Erasa would only pull that card to guilt trip Videl into something, but this? She actually looked upset…

Videl sighed, sitting down on one of the beds in the room. "It's just, when … when my mother died and my dad went off to fight Cell … I told myself that I never wanted to be left behind again. That's why I work so hard."

Erasa sat down besides Videl, making sure to be quite and listen as Videl continued.

"I mean, how many other high school kids get called in by the police to fight crime? But with Gohan, I can't … I can't help but be the damsel in distress! He's just so strong, and even after … especially after that whole stupid body swap nonsense, he's just so far ahead that I don't think I'll ever be able to catch up let alone get back to where I was."

"Oh Videl," mumbled Erasa, making sure to give her best friend the best hug she could. "Is that the best reason you have?"

Blinking, Videl sat up. "E … Excuse me?"

"The Videl I know wouldn't give up so easily! She's way to much of a hard worker to ever admit defeat! Even if it took the rest of her life…"

Jumping up, Erasa gave a little twist before leaning over to wink towards Videl. "…the Videl I know wouldn't give up till she found a way."

"But … Erasa. Look, he's been doing this stuff since he was five!"

"You started when you were six."

"His father's an alien!"

"Have you met Hercule Satan?"

Exasperated, Videl flopped back onto the bed. "Erasa, please … be reasonable here. You and I both know that someday, something bad will happen and Gohan will go off to save the world. And me? I'll have to say behind and just hope he comes back okay. I don't think I could go through something like that."

"I don't know Videl. Maybe that his father or Mr. Vegeta would say that, but Gohan? … I think he'd ask you to come."

Videl glanced over to Erasa, the blond smiling as big as ever right back at her. Silence filled the room, as the two didn't feel the need or know exactly what they wanted to say. It was for a while, which left Videl alone with her thoughts. A place she really didn't want to be.

To their surprise, the silence was broken by neither of them. Rather, the door was forced open and took with it most of the frame as it had been locked, to revial Gohan himself with a slightly whitish tint to his face.

Erasa and Videl both straightened up, blinking in surprise at the sight of Gohan doing something so … forceful.

"W-W-We gotta go."

After Gohan didn't continue the thought, Videl leaned forward. "Umm… how come?"

"Bulma's having her baby."

* * *

**Authors Annotation:**

Oh dear lord, girl talk. Yehsh, am I bad at girl talk. Though to be fair as far as anime goes, they were fully clothed, so I guess it's better than most. And it's definitely better than when I started out back in Talent and Potential, which is a scary thought in that of itself. It also raises an interesting point.

Ya'll must be some kinda masochists to stick around this long.

(And I'm glad you did.)


	30. Her Name is Bra

**~The Calm Before Saga~**

Chapter 30 – Her Name is Bra

* * *

In the cold darkness of space, a small solar system far far out of the way quietly went about its business. Its crown jewel, a small blue planet full of life, was but a spec in the distance. It had come under threat from outside forces countless times before, yet every time the pearl managed to repel its attackers.

A different kind of predator was stalking it this time though. Black as the void itself, it could move through the vacuum nearly invisible. This storm was closing in from the vastness of space with frightening precision and speed as it homed in on its target.

Earth was in the Casket's sight. It would not be much longer now.

-DBZ-

"I don't care who it is, but someone is going to explain to me why the fridge is missing from the kitchen!"

"Krillin, we gotta go!"

"No! If we try to run now we'll be picked off, one by one and everything will have been for nothing!"

Goku glance over the pillow wall uneasily. "But Krillin…! Chi-Chi's on her seventh month and Bulma's due any day now! It's too scary to stay!"

"It was your idea to bring the fridge in here! We lost Goten on the way back, are you saying we should waste your sons sacrifice!?"

"Aww, come on Krillin! H-He'd want us run! Trust me, I'm his dad!"

Goku gave it his best smile, though Krillin could see the corners of Goku's mouth shaking from fear quite plainly.

Standing tall, Krillin looked as tall as he had ever looked before in Goku's eyes. "No Goku, we can't run. Not from this fight. There are people behind this wall counting on us to protect them. It is our job, no, our DUTY to protect them! We've trained for this day, day aver day, now is the time. So Goku, my friend, I ask you. Stand with me! So we will no longer have to fea-**bleh**!"

A shoe smashed smack dab right into Krillin's face. Caught off guard, the monk slowly fell backwards, the sharp heal of the stiletto still imbedded into his face as a small fountain of blood began to stem from the wound.

"KRILLIN! NOOOOO!"

Goku rushed to his best friend's side, pulling the shoe out with a pop as more blood began to spurt out. His hands began to flail for air as he hopelessly tried to pick a course of action before Krillin bled out.

"G … Goku, please … come closer…"

"Yes!? Krillin, what is it?"

"Come … closer …"

Quickly scooting even closer, Goku lowered his head as to hear the quickly fading voice of his ally.

Krillin gave a warm smile to Goku, even as his eyes were slowly closing. "You will always be … my best friend."

Tears comically began to well up in Goku's eyes, the saiyan crying out in pain. "**KRILLIN!**"

"I swear men are all idiots" grumbled Chi-Chi.

Bulma had to agree. "They're a bad influence on the children!"

On cue, Trunks popped his head out from behind the cover of the pillow fort. "Give us back Goten!"

Chi-Chi crossed her arms, instantly gaining that motherly intimidation factor all seem to have. "Goten is in a time out, and you'll all be joining him soon if you don't put the fridge back where it belongs! Honestly!"

Before the argument outside Forlorn Hope x2 could continue, Vegeta rounded the corner from inside and stopped only to scowl Krillin's way. The Prince was currently looking closer to a mummy than a saiyan, but his eyes still held the strength to scare lesser mortals with but a glance.

"…Aren't you supposed to be watching the oldest of Kakarrots brats?"

It was more of a statement than a question, but either way it was enough to make Krillin to start sweating bullets. Goku sat backwards non the less, smiling happily after having so much fun so early in the morning. "Aww, come on Vegeta! Gohans fine, off having fun with his friends! It's been months and nothings happened. Don't you think you're worrying a little too much?"

Vegeta simply gave a "hmph" as a reply, obviously in disagreement.

Chi-Chi sighed again. "Uhh, all this stress is really starting to get to me. Come on Bulma, they can keep the fridge, I'm sure we can find some kiwi … Bulma?"

Everyone's attention suddenly shifted towards the blue haired genius, who was currently hunched over leaning against the nearby wall. "I – I think it's time…"

Silence consumed the room as everyone's eyes slowly grew larger and larger.

Krillin quickly jumped up, removing the shoe from his forehead and giving his best friend a wave. "Well, I think Vegeta's right. I'm off to go check on Gohan, bye!"

Goku extended his arm towards the small monk just as he disappeared into thin air.

"Uh – Ah – AHHHH! KRILLIN!"

"Never-mind him Goku!" screamed Chi-Chi. "We have to get her to a hospital, NOW!"

"But there are doctors a-a-and needles there!"

"**NOW GOKU!**"

Goku's face quickly turned all kinds of blue, for all kinds of reasons.

-DBZ-

Gohan, completely oblivious to the door he just broke, continued on with his explanation. "Krillin just came back from West City. Bulma's on the way to the hospital right now. If you guys want to go, we have to go now."

It took a moment for the news to sink in. Erasa was the first to process, her hands clasping each other as she began to fangirl over the very idea. "You mean I can get to see _the_ Bulma Brief's new born baby with my own eyes!?"

Videl wasn't quite as excited as her friend, but still, even she was a little excited at the idea. "Are you sure it's okay if we come along Gohan?"

Gohan gave a slight nod, not sure as to why Erasa seemed so excited. "Well … ya, but we have to go **now **if we want to."

Behind Gohan, Sharpner was making a variety of hand signals to his blond friend. It looked about as silly as when the same thing happens in baseball, but the basic idea was that Sharpner was trying to get Erasa to let Gohan and Videl go alone.

Gohan and Videl looked at Erasa very much confused as she started to make a puppy-dog face as she tried to beg, the two oblivious to the conversation the blonds were having in private. With a firm shake of the head, Sharpner ended the conversation as Erasa hung her head in defeat.

Videl blinked, even more confused now. "Uh, Erasa? Are you okay?"

Erasa's head quickly bounded back up, a fake smile plastered atop of it. "O-Oh ya! But I think I'll stay here with Sharpner. Ya know, so someone can cover for you two suddenly disappearing…"

"But Erasa …" questioned Videl. "I could just tell the teachers I got a call from the police, and Gohan's a known ditcher."

"No! No! Come on Videl, we insist…" assured Sharpner as he finally stepped by Gohan to get inside the room. "Gohan's clearly in a hurry to get there, Erasa and me would just slow you guys down!"

It was Gohan's turn to question the blonds. "Well, I'm not in _that_ much of a-"

Sharpner turned, placing his hands firmly on Gohan's shoulders.

"No, Books, I _insist_ you two should go _alone_. Get it?"

Clueless as ever, Gohan gave a slow nod. "S … Sure…"

Krillin suddenly popped his head into the room. "Hurry up Gohan! Your mother is gonna kill me if you don't get there in time! We gotta go!"

Giving a quick nod, Gohan turned to Videl.

"Well, I guess it's just us. Ready to go Videl?"

-DBZ-

Both Videl and Gohan had made sure to keep their expectations reasonable. Fire, screaming, explosions, law suits Bulma would have to sweep away later … you know, reasonable. At least for whenever their little group ventured outside the walls of Capsule Corp. What they found, however, was even more terrifying.

Silence.

It was unnerving, but not only was the hospital still in one piece … everything seemed normal. Nurses and doctors quickly shuffling along as patients wheeled or wobbled around the halls. Everything looked exactly as it should, so Gohan and Videl couldn't help but glance at one another uneasily, their imaginations running wild as to try and figure out why.

Videl leaned over towards Gohan, still keeping her eyes scanning her surroundings, "Can you sense where they are?"

"Ya," Gohan assured. "Fourth floor, they're right above us."

Videl gave a quick nod, and the two of them started off towards the stairs. The second floor was much like the first, quiet and calm. The third floor, however, was where things began to change. As the two of them passed by, they glanced through the window on the door. The doctors and nurses seemed to have a little more spring in their step than normal. Whatever they were doing, they were trying to get it done as quickly as possible.

The fourth floor was stranger still. Rather than moving fast, the healthcare professionals seemed to be moving as slowly as they could. There also seemed to be a LOT more doctors and nurses on this floor than what could ever be needed. Many were standing around, trying to look busy as they whispered to one another. Gohan and Videl forced their way through the crowd, nearly losing one another a few times before they popped through on the other side to find Bardock, of all people, standing watch infront of a door, and conveniently enough creating a bubble of space as the doctors tried their darndest to avoid him.

"Hey," quickly waved Gohan. "Is everyone else inside?"

Bardock glanced over, his body staying ever ridged as he stood at attention. For fear or whatever other reason, Bardock dared only give a quick nod in response.

Videl blinked, slightly confused at the stoic saiyans sudden change in personality. He usually was more or less as quiet as a lawn ornament, but a relaxed one. Something had him very stressed out. "Um, are you okay?"

Bardock looked at the two for a long moment, presumably at a loss for words. His hand reached up, scratching at his red bandana as he seemed to try and find his tongue.

"The … the stupid pillow fort … it's gone."

"It … what?" questioned Videl. What was he going on about?

Gohan however froze in place much like Bardock before him. "Was it … Bulma?"

Bardock slowly shook his head.

"Chi-Chi?"

To that, Bardock froze solid. His face turned blue, and beads of cold sweat could be seen rolling down his forehead. "I've worked for someone like Freeza … for years, and I have never seen … ANYTHING like that…truly, I can't even recall how I got here…"

Videl's eyes narrowed skeptically. "Are you guys going on about that Month Seven thing again?"

Gohan however couldn't answer, his eyes glazed over with fear as he contemplated his next move. "…it happened again…"

"Oh for Kami's sake." Bravely, depending on who you asked, Videl shoved past the two petrified saiyans and pushed the door open. She found a rather large waiting room where the others were sitting rather quietly. Beyond them was a door to where she surmised Bulma must be.

Upon hearing the door open, all the males in the room nearly jumped from their skins. Trunks and Goten were all but curled up in a corner, as far away from Chi-Chi as possible. Krillin, who had flown ahead for fear of what had befallen his best friend Goku, was next to the two boys, either to shield them if something were to happen, or to make sure he had something close he could guard himself with, it was hard to tell.

Bulma's parents were their normal selves, calm as cucumbers even with everything going on around them. It was rather impressive, all things considered, but at the same time rather unnerving.

"Where do babies come from mommy?" asked Marron. Her mother 18 looked down to the daughter in her lap, a flat look on her face even as her eyes slightly shrank as her mind raced for an answer.

"What did your father say." It was a question, but 18 never was good at making it sound like one.

"Well, daddy said I should ask Uncle Goku where he came from, and Uncle Goku said he came from space."

18 glared out of the corner of her eyes towards Krillin, for dodging her daughters question and passing it on to someone else. Krillin visibly flinched, but otherwise was pretty much helpless.

Turning back to Marron, 18 prepared her own answer. "Men come from space, and if it were up to me some would stay there."

Gohan and Videl did their best to walk into the room, though every step felt like they were cutting a near visible amount of tension.

Chi-Chi stood when she noticed Gohan and Videl join the others, an unnerving smile plastered over her face as she came to give her oldest a hug. "Good! You both finally made it! I was beginning to wonder if Krillin let you get lost in this huge hospital."

Krillin, glanced to the side, mumbling to himself about how Gohan was one of their strongest fighters and could sense energy clear across the planet, Trunks comforting the poor monk all the while. Safe to say poor Krillin got an earful for showing up without the two teens.

Gohan smiled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Hehe-na we found you guys all right. Seems like almost everyone is here already … wait, mom? Where's dad?"

Chi-Chi's face wrinkled in disgust at the very thought of her husband. "You mean that useless sack of meat you call your father? He's down there."

Flicking her thumb back behind her, Gohan and Videl leaned over to see around Chi-Chi. All they saw were the empty chairs besides 18 and Marron, yet, their senses could feel Goku over that way. Slowly, and rather curiously, they began to lower themselves to see under the chairs.

Sure enough, Goku had hidden himself in the dark and dirty shadows beneath.

A happy wave even greeted the two once they could see Goku's face. "Hey you two! Good to see you could make it!"

"D-Dad? Why … why are you down there?"

"Oh … you know, those nurses recognized my face from the last time I was here after the fight with Vegeta. Apparently I _might have_ broken a few things when they were trying to get me with their needles, and it seems like they held a grudge…"

Chi-Chi closed her eyes, trying to contain herself. "Kaaami help me…"

"Don't worry though! Grandpa Bardock's standing watch outside, so if they try looking for me in here, they'll mistake him for me!"

Gohan blinked. "So … why are you hiding under the chair then?"

"Oh, hehe, ya know. Your mother asked me so nicely, I figured I'd do whatever I could to help!" Goku's voice cracked more than enough times to give Gohan and Videl a pretty good idea of the real story, a sweat dropping down the back of their heads as they watched unable to say anything more.

Thankfully a doctor exited the back room at that moment, drawing everyone's attention for at least the moment.

"Well, Ms. Briefs is uh, definitely going through labor."

The men in the room looked on rather cluelessly - while the women, save Videl for obvious reasons, looked as if they wanted to smack the man in the white scrub.

"She should be fine for now, but we'll make sure to keep a doctor on hand and we already called in some extra help to make sure none of the press manages to get into the building. If none of you have any questions, you're free to visit her."

And just as quickly as he had came, the doctor was quickly lost in the echo of shuffling feet as people tried to make their way through the small door into Bulma's room.

The blue haired mother looked as if she had seen better days. A smile grew on her face as everyone made their way into her room, though the quickly growing bags under her eyes helped put an exclamation point on the fact that she was quickly growing tired. Her smile grew larger still when Trunks popped his head through the crowd and wiggled his way to her bedside, though it dampened back down as she realized there was no Vegeta to be found.

"Hey everone..! Thanks for coming!" Gohan noticed Bulma's voice was a lot softer spoken than normal. It only could have been an hour or so since her labor pains started, but it looked like it had already taken its toll on her.

Videl curiously poked her head through the crowd to get a better look for herself. Curiosity was getting the better of her, she had never exactly seen what a woman has to go through to become a mother, that and she had never seen Bulma without makeup before. Honestly, she couldn't decide which was more impressive to see either. Awkwardness with Gohan aside, she was glad she asked if she could come.

Chi-Chi smiled, holding onto her best friends hand. "Are they taking good care of you? If you need anything don't feel bad for asking, Krillin needs a way to make himself useful anyway."

"Hey!"

Bulma chuckled, waving her hand halfheartedly. "Don't worry hun, the hospital here is sparing no expense. The last thing they want is someone as famous as me saying they didn't like their service."

Everyone laughed, the tension from the room before seeming to have finally left. Gohan knew Bulma well enough, she would _definitely_ let the doctors and nurses know if something wasn't up to standards. He even shivered a little as his mind started to wander on what she might just do if something wasn't good enough. He wasn't sure the hospital would be able to survive a Month 7 incident.

Videl however found her eyes drawn to Bulma's face. She was slightly envious, but the blue haired woman was still very pretty even now, which was pretty impressive to say the least. Yet there was something off that was bugging Videl. Giving Bulma a closer look, Videl noticed Bulma's forehead was beginning to shine from what could only be a lot of sweat.

"Bulma, are you feeling alright?"

-DBZ-

Bardock let his eyes close, if only for a moment. The activities of the day were draining, even for him. Childbirth was not something he had ever been involved with. Most males from Vegeta hadn't. It just didn't fall into their skillset, though many had joked about simply not wanting to be in the way of any pregnant females.

The back of his neck began to throb slightly, causing Bardock to bring his hand up to rub it. To his surprise, the skin felt like it was on fire when he touched it, yet at the same time felt wet.

Bringing his fingers forward, Bardock opened his eyes again only to find a disturbing amount of red on them. His senses heightened in an instant, the smell of the liquid all too familiar to him. Blood.

When his eyes opened however, he found himself no longer in a small hospital waiting room, but rather a wide open city, or what was left of one. Chunks of buildings littered the landscape, with only a few small ones still standing properly.

Bardock growled when his vision began to blur. His head was throbbing much more violently now. His sense of balance was failing him. Yet still the saiyan stood, forcing at least one eye to stay open as he turned around. It was now that he noticed the sky, a brilliantly terrifying red. The sky was aflame, from above him to the horizon beyond it burned. It reminded him all too much of his last moments before the end of planet Vegeta, but more than that it reminded him of the last time he saw the Casket.

_Do you want to be stronger?_

Bardock whipped his head around as he heard the voice of a woman behind him. But when he turned, he saw no one.

_Do you want to fight?_

This time Bardock recognized the voice coming from inside his head, or at least that was the best he could gather with the state he was in. Telekinesis possibly? "Who are you? Where are you!?"

_You are a saiyan, right? Do you wish you were stronger?_

Growling in frustration from being ignored, Bardock kept his head on a swivel to try and catch sight of wherever this woman was.

"Of course I do! A saiyan lives for battle … come out so I can show you!"

_Hehehe …You are new, but you are without a doubt a saiyan. Open your eyes Bardock, your blood will remember the rest._

Bardock awoke with a jump, his eyes wide and his senses grasping at anything to try and help orient himself. Surrounding him was the white of the earthling hospital, it was calm and quiet, a disorienting contrast to where he had been moments before. He quickly brought his hand up to the back of his neck, to assess himself. Thankfully this time he found no blood, though he could still feel the muscles strain from the stress of yet another vision.

His heart slowly began to stop pounding off his chest, his nerves calming down. Taking a second glance around the room, he found his sons friends leaning on one another as they quietly tried to catch up on some needed sleep while a few others tried to force themselves to stay awake.

The problems with the prince's woman were troubling, even for him. Regardless of the problem, he was helpless to face them, and a helpless saiyan was a worthless one. It just didn't sit well with Bardock, but again, he was helpless. So he sat with the others, their quiet forms filling up the small room.

Yet, there was something about them Bardock couldn't quite place. He decided to give them a closer look, to make sure he still wasn't stuck in one of his visions. Poking the closest to him, Goten uncomfortably squirmed when the callus fingers hit his cheek. Well, it didn't seem like he was still in one of those annoying visions, but something still was off.

It was … as if … everyone around him was giving off a barely visible blue tint of light. Some more than others. Actually, it was the stronger ones among the group that seemed to be giving off the stronger light.

…Was he … sensing energy?

-DBZ-

Vegeta woke up just as the first light of the new day was beginning to break through the darkness of the night. He was sporting just as many bandages as the day before, if not more, but as he got out of bed he moved as if he wasn't hurt or sore in the slightest. Without wasting time, he made his way through the stupid pillow fort. It was much quieter than the months before. He felt somewhat uneasy about it, but he quickly shoved such thoughts out of mind as he began to make his way towards the gravity room.

After quickly removing his bandages and then reapplying new ones to the wounds that still needed them, Vegeta returned to his training.

His mind wandered as he began to spar a mental image of Kakarrot, despite his best efforts to focus. The others had gone with the Woman to the hospital. An earthling tradition most likely, and a stupid one at that. The new brat would be born with or without them, they could be spending their time more wisely. It's like they weren't worried in the slightest about this Casket thing coming towards the planet.

No matter. Vegeta was confident that this time he'd prove superior to the lot of them. So let them waist away with their silly customs. They'd only be forced to depend on his strength later.

Vegeta gathered energy into his hands, straining as they gained more and more mass. The gravity room made it harder to move, harder to breath, harder to live. As the difficulty ratcheted up, he finally was able to focus on his fighting. He shot the ball left, a drone catching it and absorbing the energy into its own power cells. The drone began to glow before firing the ball of energy back at the prince. Vegeta crossed his arms infront of himself, the energy crashing into him and exploding on contact. The drone hovered lower, closer to the cloud of smoke as if to get a better look. As the smoke wavered in the air, the small robot switched to thermal vision when the saiyan failed to show, but it was all too late. A hand shot from the smoke, taking hold of the drone entirely. Vegeta focused his energy down his arm as the robot cracked from the pressure. Wheels and gears groaned as they gave way, the drone finally giving in as it fell to pieces in Vegeta's palm.

Vegeta put his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. The vents in the gravity room opened up, sucking the smoke out while replacing the heavy air with fresher stuff from outside. Slowly, the gravity lowered till it was back to the normal level for earth, Vegeta giving himself a rare break as his wounds from the months of training prior began to burn.

"What … are you doing … here, Kakarrot."

Goku stood off to the side, arms folded as he silently watched Vegeta catch his breath.

"Didn't you go to watch … the Woman?"

Goku's eyes narrowed slightly as a smirk grew on Vegeta's face. "I came to see why you aren't over there with Bulma."

"Hah!" laughed Vegeta at the thought. "We have better things to do than wasting our time with your earth customs. Incase you up and forgot, this entire planet is in danger!"

"I haven't forgotten," assured Goku. "But some things are more important than that."

Having finally regained his breath, Vegeta proudly walked over to Goku, taking a fistful of his orange shirt. "What could be more important than that?!"

Goku looked down at the much shorter Vegeta, both of their eyes locking in a stern glare.

"Do you want know why you can't beat me?"

Vegeta's eyes widened, letting go of Goku as he stumbled back from the shock of such an absurd statement. "What … did you just say?!"

"Well, do you?"

"As I remember, you haven't beaten me!"

Vegeta jumped forward, his right fist flying out infront of him. It landed squarely on Goku's jaw, but the saiyan took it without even blinking. Vegeta's eyes widened even more, his mouth gaping a little from the shock of it all.

Goku looked down at his rival, anger welling in his voice. "You need to open your eyes to what you have. You always go on about the saiyan race and planet Vegeta, but they're gone! They're gone Vegeta! We're the last of our kind with no place we can call our own. But the people here, Earth, they've let us live here and have been so kind to us. They changed me, they've changed you! When we met, you didn't think twice about killing your own friend and partner, but now look at you! You're working as hard as you can to protect this place!"

Vegeta growled, but was otherwise silent as Goku continued on.

"Ask yourself why that is Vegeta! Ask yourself why you want to protect this planet … and you could be the strongest fighter we have."

Vegeta lowered his head, his hands balling into fists. "Why are you here … to mock me? That's just like you Kakarrot. Never missing a chance to mock and torment me. So tell me that! Why are you here!?"

"BECAUSE BULMA IS SICK YOU FOOL!"

Silence consumed the gravity room, and even though it was off, the air was the heaviest it had ever been.

"…what do you … mean … sick?"

Goku glanced to the side, pain washing over his face. "Bulma and Chi-Chi, they're only human Vegeta. And our saiyan blood is strong, maybe … maybe too strong. Giving birth isn't any easy thing, so giving birth to our children … would only make it that much harder on them…"

-DBZ-

"Out of my way!"

"I'm sorry sir, there's a mother who just gave birth in there, and we can't just let anyone in!"

Bulma tilted her head forward when she heard the voice of Vegeta come from beyond the closed door of her hospital room. Her body hurt as she tried to move, oh Kami it hurt. It was a relief to finally have the baby out, but Kami it hurt all the same. Still, a slight smile came to her face and tears came to her eyes as she listened to her husband force his way in.

"I said OUT OF MY WAY! LET ME IN, NOW!"

"I-I-I'm sorry sir, bu-u-ut Ms Brief's isn't officially married. We can only let f-f-family se – hey! S-S-Stop! Somone, s-stop him!"

The door burst open, unable to remain on its hinges as it shot across the room. Vegeta was quick to follow, all but stumbling in behind it. His head turn quickly to meet Bulma's, and the exhausted woman gave the strongest smile she could muster. Vegeta's eyes however trailed downwards towards the small bundle in her arms, his breath rather clearly getting caught in his throat.

The doctor who had failed to stop Vegeta outside at the door, adjusted his eye-glasses as he took a more confident stride closer to Bulma's bedside. "The baby girl is only four pounds even … an infant is in danger below five point five."

Vegeta's eyes turned to the doctor, who understandably flinched a little. "…how?"

"Well …" mumbled the doctor, "Ms Bulma here has admitted she is a smoker. Even if she didn't smoke much to begin with and stopped cold turkey when she learned she was pregnant … it can still affect the infant … though there seemed to be a few other things … we still aren't sure of … honestly, neither the child nor Ms Briefs should have made it. The two … simply just didn't want to die. Kami gets the credit for this one."

The doctor trailed off, and Bulma looked down at her little baby girl. That last part probably had to do with Vegeta being saiyan, the hospital staff might have noticed something off here and there this time. Vegeta's eyes returned to his daughter. She had a soft blue fluff of hair at the top of her head. Even after his loud entry, she was sound asleep.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Vegeta nearly jumped from his skin, his eyes returning to Bulma. Holding her arms out, Bulma realized just how hard this whole thing had been on her. She could barely move, let alone lift her tiny little girl. Vegeta hesitated for a while, the rest of the Z-Fighters piling in the doorway to catch a glimpse. The Saiyan finally gave in, walking past the nurses and leaning over the bed to take the baby in his arms.

Vegeta took a slow step back. The child was still sleeping, though stirred slightly from all the moving. He just couldn't believe how small she was. The closest Vegeta had ever been to infants was when he and his father watched the weakling saiyans being sent off to stray planets. He had been enduring extreme training for the androids when Trunks was born, so he hadn't bothered. It didn't seem important at the time, and he had left for space to escape the women when Kakarrot's second was born without the clown.

Yet here he was, despite his best efforts to avoid it. The earthlings had finally managed to get him to take part in one of their customs. Yet for some strange reason, Vegeta didn't feel softer for being their. Rather, he felt calm, calmer than he had been for … as long as he could remember.

"Woman …"

Bulma murmured a response, her strength quickly failing her. "Yes?"

"You're … no longer permitted to use those smoke things. … Understand …?" Vegeta glanced out of the corner of his eyes uncomfortably, "Bulma."

Vegeta found Bulma with closed eyes and much slower breathing. His body stiffened, so much that he couldn't even move when the doctor made his way to her side.

"No cause for alarm, she's just fallen asleep. This ordeal has taken its toll on mother and daughter, it'll take some time and rest for them to recover. So … if you're not going to leave, the least you could do is stay quiet."

Vegeta watched the doctor for a moment more as he weighed his words before returning his attention to the small half saiyan in his arms.

But that was all the others got to see as Goku silently pushed Trunks inside before beginning to close the door. The small boy looked back a little startled, but quickly curiosity won out as he tentatively walked over to see his new little sister. Just as Goku was about to close the door, Vegeta glanced back. Goku hesitated only for a second so the two fighter's eyes could meet. Vegeta simply held eye contact with his rival, to which Goku gave a toothy smile back before finally closing the door.

Vegeta's eyes lingered on the door for a few quiet moments before they turned back to his new daughter. He soon found his son standing at his side, up on his tiptoes to try and catch a glance of the new baby. For another moment, Vegeta looked Trunks over. The boy was amazingly strong, despite his lack of motivation. Would his daughter be the same?

Looking back down, Vegeta looked over the newest half saiyan. He wouldn't admit it, but a small smile worked its way onto his usually cold face.

-DBZ-

Outside the room, the others took a step back into the hall, realizing just how packed they had been into that doorway.

Chi-Chi wiped a tear from her eye, taking Goku's hand in hers while resting the other on her own tummy bulge. "Hmm … my big softy."

"Heh, you bet" smiled Goku, scratching the back of his head.

Videl crossed the narrow hall and found a chair opposite the door to Bulma's room and all but collapsed in it. She was drained … and she hadn't even been the one giving birth! Silently Videl promised herself that she wouldn't make herself go through anything like this for as long as she could put it off.

"Thanks for coming Videl. It means a lot to everyone."

Videl forced her eyelids open to find Gohan sitting in the chair next to her. Quickly she gave herself a once over, trying to get back into some form of presentable character. She really was missing her nice warm comfy bed back home, hospital chairs did not make good sleeping companions.

"No, I should be thanking you for inviting me. It's never dull around you guys."

The two laughed, more awkwardly than they probably had to. Videl found herself once again and smiled. "Really, thanks for letting me be here."

Gohan blushed, his eyes suddenly finding his shoelaces really fascinating. "Do you want me to fly you home? Or…"

"Nah, it's ok" assured Videl, pushing herself out of the chair and stretching. "I'm almost as fast as I used to be."

"Wow, really? That's … amazing, I'm nowhere close to where I used to be."

"Well … you have a lot more ground to make up, right?"

Gohan blinked, slightly confused. Videl had always been amazing, but almost back to one hundred percent? And what did she mean by having less ground to make up?

"Bye Gohan, see you in school. Make sure you remember what Bulma decides on for a name! Erasa's gonna wanna know!"

Gohan looked up, finding Videl already halfway down the hallway. Yelling back, Gohan smiled in agreement. "I'll make sure the first thing I do Monday is come see you!"

Videl smiled, turning to give one last wave before rounding the corner. Gohan let his arm slowly fall from his own wave, it resting just behind his neck. "The first thing I do…for sure."

**Author's Annotation: **

Yes yes, it took me a long time this go round. In my defense, this is one of the longer chapters. Hope you enjoyed it!


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